Original Guest post by Lexi Carr; updated by Lauren Mieli on 2/8/2022

The lesser line:

  • Service Animal vs. ESA: Service animals can only exist dogs where ESAs can be any pet. Additionally service animals need to meet a sure standard of training whereas an emotional back up animal does not.
  • How To Qualify For An ESA: A licensed mental wellness professional in your land needs to evaluate you and recommend an ESA for you to qualify.
  • Tin can Cats Be Emotional Support Animals: Yes they can.
  • How To Brand My Cat An Emotional Support Animate being: Connect with a licensed mental health professional in your state to come across if y'all qualify. Nosotros recommend using a reputable telehealth service and then yous can connect with 1 quickly and from the comfort of your own home.
  • All-time Emotional Support Animal Service
    • OUR Top Option – Pettable: Only service offer a satisfaction guarantee, meaning your letter works or your money back.
    • Runner Up – Certapet
    • Culling – Usa Service Animals

Check out our top pick

There are many reasons that a person may cull to speak to their doctor or mental wellness provider about owning an emotional back up animal. Whatever the reason may be, the procedure to hash out your needs for an ESA doesn't have to exist long and backbreaking. If y'all have considered speaking to your provider about an emotional support animate being, here are some things to keep in mind.

What is an emotional support animal?

An emotional support animal (ESA), or a back up animal, is a pet whose presence is deemed by a professional to provide benefits for people who suffer from mental illnesses. Those who authorize have mental health atmospheric condition that tin can disrupt ane's day-to-twenty-four hour period life activities and include conditions similar anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and clinical depression.

An emotional support animal tin can exist a neat asset to anyone who lives with these conditions. An ESA can offer comfort and support to its owner amidst stressful situations. If you have talked to a medical professional and find that an emotional support pet is right for you, don't feel limited by the type of pet you own. If you lot already ain a pet, your pet doesn't need to be a specific type of beast to be an ESA.

Tin can cats be emotional support animals?

When y'all imagine an emotional support beast, you might movie a service canis familiaris. But ESAs are not limited to merely emotional support dogs. The process to obtain an ESA letter for an emotional support domestic dog is the same for whatsoever brute. Unremarkably, whatever domesticated animal can serve you as an emotional support pet. You might be surprised by the types of animals that make the all-time ESAs. While emotional support dogs make peachy ESAs, so practise rabbits, mini pigs, miniature horses, and cats. Cats can certainly make fantabulous emotional support animals for several reasons. Cats may have a mind of their own at times, simply they can likewise be affectionate and perceptive to their possessor's emotions.

If you think some dogs are likewise rambunctious, cats make a great culling to someone who wants their pet to serve them every bit an emotional support true cat. Cats are smaller than dogs and tin can manage their energy levels better than some dogs. Cats typically create a calming presence in their owners' homes by bonding with their owners and developing a sense of companionship. Cats can be an excellent form of emotional support for individuals that live with feet, depression, or other mental health weather condition. If you have a cat and want your cat to serve you every bit an ESA, you first need to authorize for an emotional support cat.

How to qualify for an emotional support cat?

There is a very elementary requirement to authorize for an emotional support cat. If you experience debilitated past a mental health issue, you may benefit from your pet serving y'all as an ESA. If you lot observe that things similar anxiety, low, PTSD, or other mental health struggles touch your daily life, you may qualify for an emotional back up cat. First, you will demand to discuss your concerns with a medical professional to determine whether your cat can serve you as an emotional support animal. Because the requirements to qualify for an ESA are emotional challenges, yous volition need to hash out your concerns with a licensed mental wellness professional person.

Once you talk over your needs with a medical professional, you will demand to complete the necessary steps to get an official ESA letter. When you have documentation from a medical professional stating that y'all need an ESA, yous and so qualify for your cat to be an emotional back up cat. The process to qualify for an emotional back up true cat is a simple 1, and there are countless benefits for your cat to be an emotional back up animal.

Benefits of Having an Emotional Back up Cat

The benefits to an ESA are every bit personal as the bond yous share with your pet. But there are some benefits that all ESA owners will experience when they speak to a medical professional nearly owning an emotional back up cat.

They Offer Emotional Support

Merely as the proper noun states, an emotional support animal supports you emotionally, whether you struggle with PTSD, feet , depression, emotional disabilities, or other mental health struggles. ESAs are companions for their owners through difficult times that otherwise have the potential to derail an entire day. With an ESA, you're given emotional condolement in difficult times.

ESAs Ease Travel Anxiety

Traveling is a stressful ordeal for well-nigh people. When you travel with an ESA, your pet can help calm some of those traveling fretfulness. When you choose to travel with your pet, some airlines will laurels the ESA letter yous have for your pet. This volition allow you to travel with your emotional back up pet, which can ease the feet that comes with traveling. Yous will have to check with individual airlines because the rules often modify, but it'south worth checking if your ESA can calm your travel anxiety.

Avoid Pet Eolith Fees

When you have an ESA, you get in clear that you lot take a medical need to own your pet. Considering your pet supports your mental health, you tin can show your official ESA letter to your landlord so that your pet deposit fees are waived. This will allow you to alive with your pet without any worry or fees.

These are simply a few of the benefits that come with having an ESA cat. If y'all already ain a cat, the process to make your cat an emotional back up cat is simple.

How to make my cat an emotional support animal?

If you already own a cat, you tin discuss your needs to have your cat serve y'all as an ESA cat. You can start by asking yourself if your cat offers you emotional support in your daily life. If your cat gives y'all emotional support, then there isn't much else you need to do to brand your cat an ESA. Your cat doesn't demand to go through whatsoever special training to be an emotional support cat for you. Your true cat may be doing the chore of an ESA for you because your true cat is already a companion to you.

Because an emotional support animal doesn't need special training to go an ESA, your cat tin can serve y'all as an ESA considering it is already a function of your family. When you speak to a medical professional person and discuss your need for an ESA, y'all won't need to do annihilation else to brand your cat an emotional support fauna. One time you lot decide that your cat is a good fit as an ESA for you, at that place are several ways to get your ESA letter .

Best Emotional Support Animal Letter Services

The emotional support animal qualification procedure does not need to be difficult. Here are some reputable establishments that can help yous get your official ESA letter.

Pettable

Pettable Website

Pros:

  • Fast turnaround time
  • Quick and easy online process
  • Offers an online prequalification quiz
  • Official letters that are compliant with federal laws
  • Full money-back guarantee
  • Splendid customer service

Cons:

  • Pre-screening quiz requires your e-mail address and phone number
  • Information about pricing is not provided upfront
  • Consultations with a medical professional person are just done past phone

When you pursue an official ESA letter through Pettable , there are some upsides and downsides to consider. When yous utilise Pettable to speak to a medical professional about an ESA letter, Pettable offers a quick turnaround time. After yous complete the necessary steps, you will receive your recommendation to have an ESA from a licensed medical professional inside 24 hours. This is a benefit to anyone that needs their official ESA letter within a specific time frame. Another do good of Pettable is its quick and easy online process.

Pettable online process

Pettable'due south process for an ESA alphabetic character is quick, easy, and online, then you can complete the necessary steps from your home. That way, you lot can avert waiting in long lines to hash out your need for an ESA with a medical professional person. Beginning, you'll take a quiz to match yourself with a mental wellness provider. Then yous'll have a consultation with this medical professional. Pettable also provides you with an official ESA letter that is compliant with federal laws. Y'all can hands download your official ESA letter to your telephone. This gives you easy access to your ESA letter and can profoundly do good you when you lot need your letter quickly and on hand. Yous can besides print a re-create of your alphabetic character to share with your landlord. Pettable is an excellent site to consider when you decide you may benefit from an emotional support brute. There are many benefits that Pettable offers that y'all may not receive with other establishments.

While Pettable's process is online, the consultation you'll demand to take 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 person, they will determine if you could do good from an emotional support beast. If the medical professional person decides that yous qualify, you will receive your ESA letter of the alphabet in only 24 hours. Pettable is only one of several options to discuss your needs for an emotional back up animal.

CertaPet

CertaPet

Pros:

  • Fast turnaround procedure
  • Consultation with a licensed medical professional
  • Official letters that are compliant with land and federal laws
  • Offers both ESA and PSD (psychiatric service dog) consultations, for home and travel purposes.
  • Over 7,500 5-Star Reviews
  • Serves U.S. and Canadian residents

Cons:

  • Your consultation fee is not-refundable
  • Multiple support animals and boosted add-ons are charged extra
  • Requires letter of the alphabet fee payment before evaluation
  • Customers will receive a full refund if they are not canonical, less a $35 fee .

CertaPet is another case of a reputable establishment that can help you determine if you demand an emotional support pet. CertaPet offers several benefits to individuals seeking a quick, piece of cake procedure to discuss their needs for an ESA. Beginning, CertaPet has a fast turnaround process, simply as Pettable does. The process that CertaPet offers to determine your needs for an ESA is quite simple.

First, you only need to take five minutes out of your mean solar day to participate in a costless screening on CertaPet's website. This screening will requite you lot an idea of whether you lot are a practiced candidate for an ESA or non. After the screening, you will have a consultation with a licensed medical professional via a telehealth appointment. Lastly, if the medical professional person feels that you lot would do good from having an emotional support animal, you will receive a re-create of an official ESA letter of the alphabet.

So, you can impress your letter of the alphabet, or CertaPet can mail an official alphabetic character to you. The official letter that you receive through CertaPet is recognized by federal and state laws. The process to obtain your ESA alphabetic character through CertaPet is quick and unproblematic. While CertaPet has many benefits, in that location is merely one significant drawback to Cert Pet'southward process.

When you complete the consultation with CertaPet, y'all will need to pay a small, non-refundable fee of $35. This is 1 downside among many benefits that CertaPet offers. CertaPet is dedicated to providing a streamlined, easy-to-use process to all individuals seeking an emotional back up pet. While you may feel that an ESA is right for y'all, CertaPet can assist you know for certain subsequently yous speak to one of their licensed medical professionals. Pettable and CertaPet are excellent options to determine if yous would benefit from an ESA, and The states Service Animals is some other choice.

US Service Animals

US Service Animals

Pros:

  • Lifetime acknowledgement for pets
  • Always available for follow up questions
  • Offers multilingual customer back up

Cons:

  • Charges coin for unnecessary registration services
  • Does not offer split housing and travel ESA letters
  • Non all pets qualify every bit The states Service Animals

There are several things to consider when deciding on which service to use to talk over your needs for an emotional back up animal. If you decide your pet would serve you best as a Usa Service Animal, the process to practice so is quick and easy. But keep in mind, not all pets will hands qualify as a US service pet. Commencement, you need to enter your pet's information into the US Service Animal official website.

After you enter your pet'south information, speak to a medical professional, and put your pet in the United states of america Service Animals system, yous will receive your service letter and ID card. US Service Animals will send your card to you in the mail and digitally. There are several benefits in one case you successfully talk over your needs for your pet to serve yous equally a U.s. service pet. Your pet will have a lifetime acknowledgement as a U.s. service pet once information technology's officially a The states service pet.

Yous will too accept admission to the U.s.a. Service Animals helpline if you have any questions or need whatever further assistance with your service pet. One time you lot discuss your needs for a service pet with a medical professional and qualify, you will as well take admission to the U.s. Service Brute legal team. This can be beneficial if y'all feel your rights have been violated as an ESA possessor. These are all benefits to keep in mind if you decide that your pet will serve you lot as an emotional back up animal.

The principal downside of pursuing a The states Service Animals letter for your pet is that not all pets volition easily qualify as The states service pets. There are several things to keep in mind if you decide that your pet will best serve y'all equally either a service pet or an emotional back up pet. You demand to consider the wait fourth dimension for an official letter, whether you lot will have a consultation with a licensed medical professional, and the ease of the process to talk over your mental health needs. Another important consideration is whether or not your animal qualifies equally an ESA or a service pet.

Knowing the difference between an Emotional Support Fauna and a Service Animal

An emotional support creature (ESA), or a support animal, is a pet whose presence is accounted past a professional to provide benefits for people who suffer from mental illnesses. Those who qualify have mental health weather condition that can disrupt one's day-to-24-hour interval life activities and include conditions like anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and clinical low.

ESAs differ from service animals in that service animals are specifically trained to perform a diverseness of tasks (i.e., detect seizures before they strike, provide deep pressure therapy, bring medication to their handler.) While it is typical for a canis familiaris to be registered every bit an ESA, that doesn't necessarily hateful that other animals cannot, as there are no rules that specify what an ESA beast should be. This means that, if yous have a cat, and you are accounted qualified by a mental wellness professional —y'all can annals your feline companion every bit an ESA. Still, in that location are quite a few things that you accept to consider before registering your cat every bit an emotional service animal.

There isn't an "official" registration for an Emotional Support cat

The only kind of registration that you lot will demand is your ESA letter from a therapist. There is no official register that you are legally required to sign your true cat up for. Additionally, an emotional support cat doesn't take to vesture a special vest or tag of any sort, declaring your companion'south status every bit a support fauna.

Beware of scammers

Considering the process for registering your cat equally an ESA is fairly simple and straightforward and not at all as stringent as registering a service beast, there are many companies taking advantage of this fact and claim that they tin "officially certify" your ESA. Without whatever prior knowledge of ESAs, a pet possessor could terminate up paying coin for an illegitimate document or phony certification. Unlike support animals, an ESA is non guaranteed into whatever venue.

Your ESA is covered under the Off-white Housing Act

This act states that your landlord must provide reasonable accommodations to you and your ESA; nevertheless, if it imposes any financial or administrative strain on your landlord, your landlord can likewise turn down your ESA through legal proceedings. This is also possible if yous take an ESA that is very large (i.e., a horse.)

Housing that isn't covered past FHA

Rental spaces of four units or less (where the owner is actually living in ane of the units), unmarried family homes that are sold/rented by the possessor without the utilize of a broker, and housing that is operated by private clubs and religious organizations that restrict occupancy to their members are not covered by FHA.

Emotional Support Animals and the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA)

Your emotional service animal may be able to travel with you within the airplane cabin only due to significant corruption of this regulation , it is currently under scrutiny and the rules may change. Obtaining a alphabetic character from a licensed professional person is crucial in having your companion fly with you. Make sure you take the letter of the alphabet dated no later than one yr before you use it. Contact your airline a few days before your scheduled flight to make proper arrangements.

Emotional Support Animals and the Americans with Disabilities Human activity (ADA)

Nether the Americans with Disabilities Human activity, emotional support animals are not considered service animals. This is a really important stardom because support animals practice not relish the aforementioned blazon of admission as service animals. Services animals are specifically trained to perform a specific job for their owner and they are not viewed as pets, but workers. Service animals help blind people get around, help those with epilepsy know when a seizure will strike and then much more than. Today, the ADA volition only consider dogs as service animals and they must undergo the appropriate certification. Cats were previously allowed to be service animals, provided they were trained. Those who have a service cat that was previously certified are usually grandfathered into the program… but cats are no longer allowed to be considered service animals.

Frequently Asked Questions Virtually Support Cats

Are cats skilful for emotional support?

Cats are appreciating and can easily bond with their caregivers. Cats are minor, quiet, clean, and can oftentimes exist compassionate animals. Because of this, cats provide emotional support to their owners and brand fantabulous emotional support animals.

How to register a cat as an emotional back up animal?

While you don't need to accept an ESA pet, the procedure is simple if you decide to hash out your medical needs for an ESA pet with a doctor.  Yous will need to complete a brusk screening and have a consultation with a licensed medical professional who will decide if you lot qualify for an ESA cat letter of the alphabet today.

Can a landlord refuse an emotional support cat?

No. If your emotional support true cat does not pose a threat to others, your landlord cannot reject your emotional support animal. Under the Off-white Housing Act, a landlord cannot refuse a tenant because they accept a pet if that pet is an ESA.

How much does an emotional cat cost?

When you seek out an emotional support cat, you will usually need to pay the fees for your screening and your consultation with a medical professional. This cost ranges depending on which establishment you lot use to get your ESA letter.

Are emotional support cats required to take a pet eolith?

No. Pet deposit fees are waived once you lot have your official ESA letter and you share your letter with your landlord. Information technology is unlawful for your landlord to accuse you a pet deposit when your pet is an emotional support true cat.

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