Emotional support animals help their owners deal with their mental health disabilities by offering comfort and support through companionship, a focus in life, affection, and positive regard.
An emotional support animal can be any domesticated animal such as a cat, dog, guinea pig, hedgehog, rat, horse, miniature pig, bird, etc. The most important thing is that the animal is domesticated and does not pose a threat to people, other pets, or the housing facility.
What’s equally important is that an ESA needs to be recommended to the owner by a licensed health professional or therapist. If the therapist has determined that the person needs an emotional support animal, the animal needs to be able to help alleviate some of the symptoms of the owner’s mental illness.
Are you ready to make your cat an emotional support cat now? Complete the questionnaire in the link below to qualify your cat as an official emotional support cat.
Can Cats Be Emotional Support Animals?
Yes, cats can be emotional support animals. In fact, they make great emotional support animals. Cats are very affectionate and playful. They create strong bonds with their owners, regardless of the general belief that they are pesky little creatures that hate socializing.
In addition, emotional support cats are easier to house and maintain than emotional support dogs. They are generally smaller than canines and are very agile. They will find enough space and activities for themselves most of the time. You will still need to take care of their food and water supplies and clean the litter box. Other than that, all you need to do is ensure some quality playtime.
Emotional support cats are fun to play with and fun to watch, which can help boost your mood. Purring can also have therapeutic effects on people. There’s no doubt that your cat’s calm personality can also calm you down. Felines are also very good at reading people’s emotions and will respond to them appropriately.
How to Register an Emotional Support Cat
Step 1: Connect with a licensed mental health professional online or in real life.
If you think you could qualify for an emotional support cat, you need to talk to a licensed health professional. If you’re already in therapy, you can ask your therapist about making a cat an emotional support animal. To qualify, you need to have a mental health disability. If your doctor/therapist finds that the animal can be beneficial to you, they can write you an ESA letter. If you do not have access to a licensed mental health professional in real life, you can connect with one online and get your ESA letter online. To connect with an LMHP online, complete the ESA Questionnaire by clicking the image link above.
Step 2: Qualify for an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional.
In order to qualify for the ESA letter, you must demonstrate your need for an emotional support animal in your life. If you suffer from a mental disability (i.e. depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc.) and it limits your daily life, you may qualify for an ESA letter. The ESA letter must be written on the official letterhead of a licensed health professional and include the license number, the date it was issued, and the expiration date.
Step 3: Make sure your cat does not pose a threat to others.
If you already have a pet cat that you want to make an emotional support cat, you will need to provide some information about the animal, too. There is no age limit and there are no special training requirements for ESAs. Whether you want a kitten or an adult cat to be your ESA, you can make it happen.
As long as your animal provides support for your disability and doesn’t pose a threat or a nuisance to people and property, your kitty is good to go. Your emotional support cat doesn’t need to perform any tricks or tasks to qualify. However, good behavior is mandatory, or you can be excluded from no-pets housing or airplanes.
Step 4: Notify your landlord about your emotional support cat.
You can submit your ESA letter to your landlord via email. This will provide a record that you have submitted your paperwork.
Step 5: You can if you want to register your emotional support cat.
Keep in mind that no special tags or vests are required for any emotional support animal. Unless you really want these products, it is not required by law. ESA cat registration is also not required. Registering an emotional support animal will not make it a true ESA. The only “Emotional Support Cat Registration” you will ever need is your ESA letter.
Legal Rights for Emotional Support Cats
Emotional support cats have the same rights as all the other emotional support animals.
Under the Fair Housing Act, you can live in no-pet housing with your emotional support cat. The building manager or the landlord must make reasonable accommodations to house you and your pet. In addition, they cannot charge any additional pet deposits or fees for your emotional support cat. Also, you shouldn’t let anyone review your confidential medical information. This goes for apartment managers and landlords.
If you are rejected or your rights are compromised in any way, you can file a complaint with the HUD for discrimination. Note that there are instances when you can be denied access with your ESA. Most commonly, this can happen if your animal is too big for the housing or if the animal poses a danger to other residents.
Qualify for your ESA letter today.
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I have a letter from a licensed mental health professional. She is licensed in the state that I reside, but she does not have a physical practice in my state since I contact her via telehealth. My apartment complex is denying my request for my ESA due to her not having a physical practice in the state. Is that a valid reason for them to deny my request?
HUD guidelines allow tenants to get ESA letters from remote providers. You may find this article helpful: https://esadoctors.com/esa-online-telehealth/
How much does this service cost?
I currently am disabled and suffer with depression and anxiety, I have a cat (8months old) I would definitely say she’s my emotional support animal as she sits and cuddles me when I’m home and it makes me feel wanted. I’m about to be homeless and council are saying I may not be able to take my cat :(
You can find our pricing plan here: https://esadoctors.com/pricing-plan/
I have been tenant for over 30 years and have always had pets here. Currently have 2 cats who are critical to my wellbeing as I suffer from deep ongoing depression. My landlord is aware of both cats and there have never been any complaints. However 2 tenants have moved in with ESA dogs and now my landlord now wants me to register my cats and charge me $500 fee as fee. as well as a high monthly rent. My question is can I register my cats as EMA even after them being in the apartment for years? How could I defend registering them now without mentioning my mental health issues which have worsened with the stress of this issue but I want them to remain strictly private. Please advise.
You do not need ever need to “register” an emotional support animal. The only documentation is an ESA letter from a licensed healthcare professional. Landlords also cannot charge any type of fee for an ESA. If you’re looking to qualify for an ESA letter, we can help you here: https://esadoctors.com/esa-questionnaire/
Can ESA cat be in a university college?
Generally yes, but we recommend seeing what your university’s specific policies and guidelines are.
Does the housing include overnight hotel stays that do not allow pets?
Unfortunately ESAs do not have legal rights in hotels. Some hotels may accommodate them however as a courtesy. Please see this link for more details: https://esadoctors.com/where-can-i-take-emotional-support-animals/