Learn More About Service Animals
While cats are not as receptive to training as dogs, and the law does not recognize them as official service animals, they can still make a huge difference for people in need. Like many animals, cats can develop a special bond with humans. They can be loving, gentle, relaxing, and even helpful around the house.
Do you have a cat that can be registered as a therapy or emotional support animal? The process can be complex, and you may have a lot of questions about legal requirements, veterinary exams, benefits, etc. No matter what information you are looking for, we can help. Consult our website at usserviceanimals.org to find out more!
How To Register Cat As Emotional Support Animal: Complete Guide
Emotional support animals help their owners solve their emotional or mental problems by providing comfort, affection, and companionship. In addition, ESAs can help you with your medical conditions and some of the most challenging times in life.
In this post, we will focus more on how to register your cat as an emotional support animal. Cats are among the most common domesticated pets and can be found in many homes. They also dont usually pose any threat to humans. These traits are what make them great emotional support animals for many people.
Cats can be a great support system in times of need Click the button below.
How Do You And Your Cat Become Certified
To train as an official cat-therapy team, you need to meet minimum requirements, which vary by the certifying organization. The Pet Partners program, for example, requires that the cat is at least one year old and has lived with you for at least six months. Cats should show no aggression towards people or other animals. Those are obvious requirements. There are less obvious things, like cats who eat a raw protein diet not being eligible to participate. Most programs also require that the cat be able to wear a leash and harness, mostly for the cats own safety.
Youll likely first fill out a screening questionnaire. Once the organization has established that you and your cat meet the requirements, youll complete training for either just you or you and your cat. When that is finished, you and your cat undergo a live evaluation by a trained expert.
Then you submit all of this information, along with a fee , to become a certified therapy team. Voila!
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What Additional Benefits Come With Psychiatric Service Cats
Psychiatric service cats are allowed on any airline without a fee and have the right to go with you into any public space – including restaurants, supermarkets, and other public areas.
Emotional support animals aren’t protected in quite the same way. Your emotional support cats are legally allowed to move into any housing unit, travel with you to any Airbnb, and live in University dorms.
But unfortunately, after recent federal rule changes, ESAs are allowed to fly free only on certain international airlines. And, while your desire to have your ESA with you will generally be respected in other public places, unlike with a service animal, you don’t have a federally protected right to take them with you into any public space.
What Are The Best Emotional Support Cat Breeds
There are no restrictions on breeds of cats to qualify for an emotional support animal. It depends on the person seeking an ESA cat as he can choose any breed. Still, to give you an idea about the kinds of cats that work the best as ESAs, we have listed some cat breeds below:
- Siamese Cat
- Russian Blue
- Maine Coon
Apart from these, there are a number of other cat breeds that make great emotional support cats.
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Laws To Protect Your Rights To Emotional Support Cats
There are two United States Federal Laws which primarily protect the rights of people with Emotional Support Animals. Although the rights are not as expansive as those granted to Service Animals or Service Dogs, there are still two very important points to acknowledge:
Who Needs Service Animal Registration When You Can Get An Esa Letter
Not everyone in need of support for emotional disabilities requires a fully trained service animal. Excellent emotional support and companionship are provided by any pet who fulfills the role of an ESA.
Bear in mind that it is never the animal who is registered as an ESA, but rather the person who is diagnosed and prescribed the ESA.
The only requirement for the assignation of an ESA letter is to be diagnosed accordingly by a licensed medical health practitioner in your state. If you are considering getting an ESA, why not try CertaPets free online 5-minute pre-screening? If your answers show that you may be eligible for an ESA, we will connect you with a LMHP in your state.
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Information About How To Get Your Dog Certified As A Service Dog
Emotional service dogs are dogs that provide comfort and support in forms of affection and companionship for an individual suffering from various mental and emotional conditions. An emotional support dog is not required to perform any specific tasks for a disability like service dogs are. They are meant solely for emotional stability and unconditional love. They can assist with conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder/mood disorder, panic attacks, fear/phobias, and other psychological and emotional conditions.
Emotional service dogs are protected under federal law
Under the Fair Housing Amendments Act and the Air Carrier Access Act , an individual who meets the proper criteria is entitled to an emotional service dog to assist them with their life. The FHAA protects individuals by allowing their emotional service dog to live with them . The ACAA protects individuals by allowing the emotional service dog to fly with them in the cabin of an airplane . Any dog can be an emotional service dog, and emotional service dogs do not have to be professionally-trained.
A Medical Recommendation is Required for an ESA Dog
You are required to have a letter from a doctor or mental health professional recommending that you have an emotional service dog for your condition. You may be asked to present this letter by airline staff when flying or by your landlord when renting a home.
Identifying emotional service dogs for the public
Therapy Cats As Personal Pets
You can still benefit from interacting with a therapy cat even if youre not a patient at a nursing or care facility.
It may sound surprising, but you can actually get a special prescription that allows you to become the owner of a therapy pet.
The perks of having such a prescription include numerous advantageous privileges.
For example, youll be fully eligible to own a furball in a no-pet apartment building or dormitory, to use the services of no-pet airlines by taking your cat onboard, and so forth.
ESADoctors are a group of licensed professionals offering special evaluations, diagnosis and prescriptions that will help you get a therapy cat. Obtaining the licensed ESA prescription is one of the easiest ways to get a therapy companion.
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Get A Consultation From A Licensed Mental Health Professional
While on the Certapet site, they will match you with a licensed mental health professional from your state. Then they will contact you to set up the telehealth appointment. This is to ascertain that you need the support cat you are applying for as an ESA cat letter.
Certapet will pair you with a medical professional specifically trained to assess mental health issues and mental illnesses. Once they get to examine your mental well-being, they confirm whether or not you need a therapy cat.
Emotional Support Cat Registrationnot Real
Actually, you dont register your cat anywhere!
If you see a site promoting a service cat registry or similar idearun away as fast as possible.
Not only is service cat registration bogus, but the sites are spreading misinformation.
The only requirement to have your cat attributed as an emotional support animal is to have a written letter from a licensed mental health professional, often called an emotional support animal letter.
This is contrary to what you might read on websites that ask you to pay to register your cat as an emotional support animal, but it is true. As weve covered many times, there is no legal requirement for Emotional Support Animals to be registered.
Online registers offering registration services are simply trying to make some money off of peoples lack of knowledge about ESAs. The ESA letter written by an LMHP is everything you need. In fact, as awareness about emotional support animals increases, airline staff, and real estate renters are increasingly becoming likely to deny any document produced by these so-called registries and certification services offering Emotional Support Cat certification or registration.
And when you get a fake ESA letter, you reap the consequences. DO NOT BE FOOLED!
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Frequently Asked Questions About Emotional Support Animals
What is an Emotional Support Animal Certification? Do I need to get my ESA certified?
No, you do not need to get your Emotional Support Animal certified. Frankly, its not possible.
Like the misconception of registering your ESA into some database online, Emotional Support Animal certification is just a piece of paper with no real use.
To be a real Emotional Support Animal owner, you must have an ESA letter awarded by a therapist after you have taken an assessment of your qualification to own one.
Many sites, as well as people, claim they sell official Emotional Support Dog certification or offer legitimate Emotional Support Animal registration, but remember all you need is an ESA letter from a LMHP.
Are Emotional Support Animal Registration Sites Legitimate?
Were often asked if ESA registration sites are real.
The answer is NO.
If you see a site claiming to be a national service animal registry, emotional support dog registration, official service dog registry, US emotional support dog registry, or a US service dog registry theyre handing out false information and only wanting you to pay for a fake document.
Do emotional support animals require training?
Unlike service animals, HUD does not require any special training for ESAs. However, we strongly encourage you make sure your pet understands basic commands, behaves well in public setting and is trained for travelling if you chose take it on a flight.
Yes!
Yes! Just that!
Things To Consider When Bringing An Esa Car Home
When bringing an emotional support cat home, here are some of the things that you must consider beforehand:
- Choose a friendly cat breed like a siamese cat, ragdoll, and Scottish Fold
- Do not get a feral cat as your ESA. These stray cats need time and patience to tame and then also you cannot be sure about their behavior
- If possible, bring a kitten instead of an older cat, kittens are easier to bond with and if bought from a good breeder, they will already be housebroken and socialized
- Once you bring your cat home, make sure to keep it indoors all the time. This will save the cat from any danger like accidents, infections and getting into a fight with wild cats and animals
- Spay or neuter your cat when bringing it home. Unaltered cats, both male and female, will cause a lot of trouble for you so it is better to get done with it in time
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Get The Ada To Certify Cats As Service Animals
0 have signed.At 500 signaturesfeatured in recommendations!At 500 signaturesfeatured in recommendations!Stephanie Viveros
There is extensive evidence that supports a cats ability to be trained and perform tasks for those with a disability. About 3 years ago, my boyfriend and I were living with his grandfather to care for him in Corning, CA. This was not a short stay and I finally had an opportunity getting a pet of my own in hopes of easing my anxiety and providing companionship. It was a great opportunity to care for an animal and I needed to feel like I was doing something positive.
I suffer from OCD, and, at the time, there were certain obsessions and compulsions I had that interfered with my daily routine. One of my triggers was walking. I would constantly backtrack about every step I took, which caused much distress and hindered me from wanting to go out, thus, assuring me a kitten would be a better choice. Given dogs require more care and work, a kitten would give me more time to focus on bettering myself mentally.
Dexter has opened a door for me where I was able to start taking little steps into strengthening my mental health and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. So much so that I knew one day I would have many more animals and provide them with great homes and an abundance of love.
Reasons why we should get the ADA to recognize cats as service animals:
Service Cats: Can A Cat Be A Service Animal
We often get asked, Can a cat be a Service Animal?.
The short answer:Cats CANNOT be service animals.Cats CAN be emotional support animals.
According to the American Disability Act , Service Animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. There is a special provision written in for miniature horses, but nothing that mentions specifically service cats.
However, as mentioned above, cats can certainly qualify as an emotional support animal , and there is no training and requirements for your furry companion animal.
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Best Emotional Support Animal Letter Services
The emotional support animal qualification process does not need to be difficult. Here are some reputable establishments that can help you get your official ESA letter.
- Pre-screening quiz requires your email address and phone number
- Information about pricing is not provided upfront
- Consultations with a medical professional are only done by phone
When you pursue an official ESA letter through Pettable, there are some upsides and downsides to consider. When you use Pettable to speak to a medical professional about an ESA letter, Pettable offers a quick turnaround time. After you complete the necessary steps, you will receive your recommendation to have an ESA from a licensed medical professional within 24 hours. This is a benefit to anyone that needs their official ESA letter within a specific time frame. Another benefit of Pettable is its quick and easy online process.
While Pettables process is online, the consultation youll need to have with a medical professional is only offered over the phone. This is a necessary step to receive your ESA recommendation. Once you complete the consultation with a medical professional, they will decide if you could benefit from an emotional support animal. If the medical professional decides that you qualify, you will receive your ESA letter in only 24 hours. Pettable is only one of several options to discuss your needs for an emotional support animal.
Emotional Support Cat Certification
All that is needed to make your cat a legitimate emotional support animal is a letter from a therapist or mental health professional. In order for an ESA letter to be accepted by no pets housing, the letter must be written and signed by a licensed healthcare professional. The ESA letter must also be written on the therapists own letterhead, with his/her license number and the place/date it was issued. In addition, the ESA letter must have been issued within one year of the time of submission.
If you do not have access to a therapist in your own area or they do not understand the benefits of animal therapy, you may seek support from a legitimate online resource. We have a helpful post on getting your ESA letter online here.
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Relieve Stress And Depressive Symptoms
Other mental and emotional wellness issues that an emotional support cat helps with include depression and stress. Many people credit their emotional support animal as providing critical help that got them through periods of intense depression or stress.
Emotional support cats relieve depression by giving their owners a sense of purpose and meaning, which can go a long way towards combating depression symptoms. Simply having the responsibility of caring for an emotional support animal and ensuring they thrive can go a long way towards meaningfully reducing depression symptoms. Petting your ESA cat also releases feel-good hormones that are known to lift a person’s mood and improve their mental well-being.
Schedule An Appointment With A Licensed Mental Health Professional
The first thing you want to do is schedule an appointment with a professional who is licensed and qualified to prescribe an ESA. Here are the main types of professionals who can evaluate you:
- Licensed primary care doctor or general doctor
- Licensed clinical social worker
- Psychiatrist
- Psychologist
To make the process easier, try to schedule an evaluation appointment with someone who has experience or specializes in prescribing ESAs.
Unfortunately, ESA letter scams exist and some websites procure fake letters. To avoid running into a scam, make sure that the licensed mental health professional has a working license thats valid in your state. You should also have their contact information and be able to easily look up their practice information.
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