I bought this for my two older cats who were having a difficult time jumping to the washing machine for their food. It's kept there out of reach of the dog. The cats some time getting used to the idea, but once they did they use it all the time. It was very easy to put together. The only thing that is a negative, is that the steps are independant of each other and sway if too much weight is put on the. My cats are heavy, and the stairs do move slightly for them.