How to Get an Emotional Support Cat Certification

What Is An Emotional Support Cat?

Can cats be emotional support animals? Yes, they could be. An emotional support cat is a certified animal that helps its owner live a happy and normal life. They work great for people with various mental and emotional conditions and keep them calm and content.

Generally, dogs are considered the first choice for both pets and ESAs but in reality, both a dog and a cat can be equally useful as ESAs.

Like any ESA, emotional support cats are also not specifically trained to perform tasks, they provide love and comfort to a person just by being with them.

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
• Ragdoll
• Persian Cat
• Sphynx
• Maine Coon
• American Shorthair
• Bengal Cat
• Manx Cat
• Russian Blue
• Maine Coon

Apart from these, many other cat breeds make great emotional support cats.

Can Cats Be Service Animals?

No, they cannot. Cats can be an emotional support animal but cannot be a service animal.

In fact in the American Disability Act, a special provision is written for miniature horses but there is no mention of service cats at all.

Service dogs and miniature horses help people with physical limitations but since cats are not as sturdy as horses and dogs, they cannot serve as service animals.

H2 How to Get An Emotional Support Cat?

To get the ESA cat, a person must qualify for an emotional support animal. People suffering from the below disorders qualify for emotional support animals and cats.

• Stress
• Anxiety Depression
• Any sort of fear or phobia
• Social anxiety disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Panic attacks
• PTSD

Any other mental illness. If you qualify then follow the steps below to get your ESA cat and letter.

• Get in touch with a therapist
• Explain to him your condition and how a cat will be helpful for it
• Clear the pre-screening tests
• Qualify and get the letter

Once you get the emotional support animal letter, you can bring your ESA cat home. Other than emotional support animals, they are also used as therapy animals and help people in various facilities. As for the service cats, there are no known cases where a cat works as a service animal.

Do I Need to Register My Cat as an Emotional Support Animal?

There is no such thing as registration. According to law, there are no such requirements for your ESA to get registered.

If you see any website prompting “register your cat as an ESA” or “Cat registration” or anything similar. Ignore the website right away.

It is a fake website and you will end up in a lot of trouble if you get a fake ESA letter. Do not get fooled otherwise you will have to face the consequences. Faking an ESA is a federal offense that can lead to more than $100,000 fine, and imprisonment, depending on the state and its laws.

Such sites are clearly misguiding people with fake information and the bogus cat registration process. All you need is an ESA letter to live and travel with your cat.

Benefits of Getting Emotional Support Cat Certification Letter

A valid ESA letter protects your cat with the help of emotional support animal laws. These laws protect the legal rights of an ESA and its owner.

ESA Cat Certification For Housing

As per the Fair Housing Act, FHA, no landlord can discriminate against you based on the presence of an emotional support animal. Due to the rise in the ESAs, many landlords are aware of the rules governing them. In case your landlord does not know about them, communicate with him, and tell him the consequences if he does not comply.

This act will ensure that an individual in need of an emotional support animal will receive suitable and desirable accommodation and be allowed to live with their animal.

Other than that, it will also prevent landlords and rental companies from charging additional costs.

ESA Cat Certification For Air Travel

Air Carrier Access Act, ACAA, also protects your cat when it comes to flying with your companion animal.

According to ACCA, all commercial airlines will allow your ESA cat to travel with you in the cabin without any additional charges.

Under this act, the airlines can make some limitations such as requiring advance notice. Other than this, no airline can stop you from traveling with your beloved feline.

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

Qualify for an ESA Letter Online

No access to a medical health professional? We can Help!

You can get an ESA letter online as well without going through the hassle of making appointments with your therapist.

RealESALetter.com is the only online service that provides a 100% legal process. Just fill out a simple questionnaire and certify your cat as an emotional support animal.

After submitting the form, our team will analyze your application. We will then connect you with a licensed mental health professional and you will get a valid ESA letter within 24 hours.

An ESA letter from RealESALetter.com provides:

• Recognition that you are a patient of a mental health professional.
• Our letter will verify that you are limited by any kind of emotional disability.
• Prescription for an ESA as a necessary reinforcement.

Once you receive your ESA letter, you are free to use it wherever you go with your animal.

Contact us and get your ESA cat letter today!