At 15 years old, it’s safe to assume that Allegra has some degree of arthritis. She still jumps on and off my bed multiple times a day, seemingly without any problems. Then one day last week, I noticed her getting ready to jump up, and she didn’t quite make the jump. I don’t know whether she just miscalculated, or whether she did experience some pain that morning, but it just about broke my heart. My little girl is getting old! That’s when I decided that it was time to get her some pet stairs to help making get on and off the bed easier for her.
About Amarkat Classic Faux Fleece Pet Stairs
The stairs are made from pressed wood, covered with faux fleece. They require some assembly, and if you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I’m always leery when I hear those words. In this case, I shouldn’t have worried. The stairs come with all the hardware you need along with an easy to read drawing of how to put them together. It took me less than 10 minutes to set them up.
Putting the Amarkat Classic Faux Fleece Pet Stairs to the test
Allegra was supervising while I assembled them, and as soon as I stepped back from placing them in front of the bed, she started to investigate.
They are nice and sturdy and rated to hold up to 70 pounds. I don’t know how well the fleece will hold up if Allegra decides to use the stairs as a scratching post, although a previous Amarkat scratcher that I bought for Ruby lasted for several years.
Because I was concerned that Allegra might get her claws caught on the branded tag on one of the steps (and because I thought it looked kind of ugly), I took it off. It was easily removed with a small screw driver.
Allegra uses the stairs to get up on the bed almost all the time now. She rarely tries to jump up anymore, but still jumps down. This suggests that while she clearly has some arthritis in her back legs, her front lets probably still feel pretty good. I hope in time, she’ll use them to get down as well. My vet reassured me that since I made accommodations for her with the stairs, we don’t need to consider pain medication for her at this stage, which was a relief, given the multiple medications she’s already on for her chronic diarrhea.
I do think that stairs are a must have for senior cats who like to jump up on high places. I wish I had gotten those stairs a little sooner.
The Amarkat Classic Faux Fleece Pet Stairs are available from Chewy.com.*
*FTC Disclosure: Purrs of Wisdom is an affiliate partner of Chewy.com. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or would use ourselves. We received these stairs at no charge for the purpose of this review. All reviews on Purrs of Wisdom will always reflect my honest and unbiased opinion, or, as the case may be, Allegra’s opinion.
My dogs would not use the pet steps, I would have to put them on the bed. Needless to say they did not use them to go down either. I compensated by putting a big, thick dog bed on the corner where they jumped off of the bed so they would have a soft landing. I do not have carpet, and only a few rugs. When my girls got older, I put down yoga mats all over the floors, because they slipped on the hardwood.
I love these steps and it is good for Allegra to perch on as well. I had steps to my bed for my dogs, but when I got a new mattress there were not high enough. They used to jump off the bed, so I had a big thick soft bed on the corner for them. I saw a ramp I liked. It curved around making a zigzag and got higher as it zigged. I like that it had rails so my dogs could not fall off.
That’s a great idea to put a soft bed where they jump off.
I gave my cats Rhus Tox in their food for arthritis symptoms
A homeopathic remedy.
My 16-year old cat used to jump on a high dresser , but then I got concerned about the heavy landing coming down…..so I kept one of the middle drawers open and that worked well..
Then for the other cat, also 16, I. Got the homeopathic remedy Rhus Tox to put in their food…tiny sugar pills, tasteless. Available at health food stores,
Boiron Blue tube brand
And if would recommend Arnica T-Relief
Thank you for your suggestions, Silvia.
Tasha is 15 years old too. I have a platform bed and plastic crate next to it so Tasha jumps up on the crate then onto the bed. She is pretty good about it. I know she has arthritis and is slow when she repositions herself to lay down.
I’m starting to see some of that slowness when changing positions in Allegra, too.
Our 15 yo Ursula has arthritic hips so a year ago we started her on monthly Solensia injections. The change in her behavior was immediate and has maintained, she is much more mobile and active. The shots are expensive but very effective. It’s given subcu so I pick up the vial and give her the injection myself at home to spare her trips to the vet. Just an fyi in case it’s something you end up considering.
I have done the same with 3 of my seniors. Solensia is a game changer for kitties with arthritis. You can administer the injection yourself (if you’re comfortable with doing that) at home and the effect is almost immediate. 2 of my 3 have now crossed the Rainbow Bridge but I can honestly say that Solensia helped both of them tremendously and my current almost 18 year old has a new lease on life since we started her on Solensia. I only wish that option was available for humans, lol!
That’s great to hear that Solensia works so well for your seniors, Cheryl.
I’ve heard good feedback about Solensia, Lisa, and we’ll certainly consider it when my vet feels that it’s necessary for Allegra.
Nice looking stairs but very pricey. A quick Google search shows many similar options for a lot less.
These are some nice looking stairs. I’m glad Allegra started using them pretty quick. Miss Kiki is 13 and I worry about her jumping too. We have kitchen cabinets that don’t go all the way to the ceiling and she loves getting up there. Of course she cries to be brought back down.
My Amarkat steps have held up well with my various senior cats for over 6 years. Still sturdy although top step fur is getting a little thin (they lay on top step while looking out the window).
That’s good to know that the stairs are holding up so well, Gail.
Thanks for this review. My cat is 12, and still seems to jump ok. But I will definitely keep this post handy for the future.