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

The lesser line:

  • Service Animal vs. ESA: Service animals can only exist dogs where ESAs can be any pet. Additionally service animals demand to run across 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 state needs to evaluate you and recommend an ESA for you lot to authorize.
  • Can Cats Be Emotional Support Animals: Yes they tin.
  • How To Brand My True cat An Emotional Support Fauna: Connect with a licensed mental health professional in your state to see if yous qualify. We recommend using a reputable telehealth service so you can connect with i quickly and from the comfort of your ain home.
  • Best Emotional Support Animal Service
    • OUR Tiptop Pick – Pettable: Only service offering a satisfaction guarantee, meaning your letter works or your money back.
    • Runner Up – Certapet
    • Culling – US Service Animals

Check out our top pick

In that location are many reasons that a person may choose to speak to their doctor or mental health provider about owning an emotional support creature. Whatsoever the reason may exist, the process to discuss your needs for an ESA doesn't have to be long and arduous. If you take considered speaking to your provider virtually an emotional support animal, here are some things to keep in mind.

What is an emotional support beast?

An emotional support animate being (ESA), or a back up brute, is a pet whose presence is deemed past a professional to provide benefits for people who endure from mental illnesses. Those who qualify have mental health weather condition that can disrupt 1'southward day-to-solar day life activities and include conditions like feet disorder, panic attacks, and clinical depression.

An emotional support animal can be a swell asset to anyone who lives with these conditions. An ESA tin can offering comfort and support to its owner amid stressful situations. If you have talked to a medical professional person and find that an emotional support pet is right for y'all, don't feel limited by the blazon of pet you ain. If yous already own a pet, your pet doesn't need to exist a specific type of fauna to be an ESA.

Can cats be emotional back up animals?

When y'all imagine an emotional support animal, you might picture a service canis familiaris. But ESAs are not express to only emotional back up dogs. The process to obtain an ESA letter for an emotional support dog is the same for any animal. Unremarkably, whatever domesticated beast tin can serve you every bit an emotional back up pet. You lot might be surprised by the types of animals that make the all-time ESAs. While emotional support dogs make great ESAs, so practise rabbits, mini pigs, miniature horses, and cats. Cats can certainly make splendid emotional support animals for several reasons. Cats may take a mind of their own at times, merely they tin also be appreciating and perceptive to their owner's emotions.

If y'all recollect some dogs are besides rambunctious, cats make a great alternative to someone who wants their pet to serve them every bit an emotional support cat. Cats are smaller than dogs and 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 exist an excellent class of emotional support for individuals that live with feet, depression, or other mental health conditions. If you have a cat and desire your true cat to serve you equally an ESA, you lot first need to authorize for an emotional support cat.

How to qualify for an emotional support cat?

In that location is a very simple requirement to authorize for an emotional support cat. If y'all feel debilitated by a mental health upshot, you may benefit from your pet serving you as an ESA. If you discover that things like anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other mental health struggles affect your daily life, yous may qualify for an emotional support cat. Showtime, you will need to discuss your concerns with a medical professional to determine whether your true cat tin can serve yous as an emotional support creature. Considering the requirements to qualify for an ESA are emotional challenges, you volition need to talk over your concerns with a licensed mental wellness professional.

Once you discuss your needs with a medical professional, you lot will need to complete the necessary steps to get an official ESA alphabetic character. When y'all have documentation from a medical professional stating that yous need an ESA, you then qualify for your cat to exist an emotional support cat. The process to qualify for an emotional back up cat is a simple one, and there are endless benefits for your cat to exist an emotional support animal.

Benefits of Having an Emotional Back up Cat

The benefits to an ESA are as personal as the bond yous share with your pet. But in that location are some benefits that all ESA owners volition feel when they speak to a medical professional nigh owning an emotional back up cat.

They Offer Emotional Back up

Just every bit the name states, an emotional back up creature supports you emotionally, whether you lot struggle with PTSD, anxiety , 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 24-hour interval. With an ESA, you're given emotional comfort in hard times.

ESAs Ease Travel Feet

Traveling is a stressful ordeal for nearly people. When you travel with an ESA, your pet tin help calm some of those traveling fretfulness. When you cull to travel with your pet, some airlines volition honor the ESA alphabetic character you have for your pet. This volition permit you to travel with your emotional back up pet, which can ease the feet that comes with traveling. You lot will have to cheque with individual airlines because the rules oftentimes modify, only it'southward worth checking if your ESA tin can at-home your travel feet.

Avoid Pet Eolith Fees

When y'all have an ESA, you lot go far clear that yous accept a medical need to own your pet. Because your pet supports your mental health, yous can show your official ESA letter to your landlord and so that your pet deposit fees are waived. This will allow you to live with your pet without any worry or fees.

These are just a few of the benefits that come with having an ESA true cat. If you already own a cat, the process to make your cat an emotional support cat is simple.

How to make my cat an emotional support animal?

If you already own a cat, you can discuss your needs to have your true cat serve yous as an ESA true cat. You tin first by asking yourself if your cat offers yous emotional support in your daily life. If your true cat gives you emotional support, then there isn't much else you need to do to make your cat an ESA. Your cat doesn't need to go through any special training to exist an emotional support cat for you. Your cat may be doing the job of an ESA for yous considering your cat is already a companion to you.

Considering an emotional support beast doesn't need special training to go an ESA, your cat can serve y'all as an ESA because information technology is already a office 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 animal. In one case you decide that your cat is a good fit every bit an ESA for yous, at that place are several ways to get your ESA letter .

Best Emotional Back up Animal Letter Services

The emotional support animal qualification process does not need to be difficult. Hither are some reputable establishments that tin can aid you go your official ESA letter.

Pettable

Pettable Website

Pros:

  • Fast turnaround time
  • Quick and piece of cake online process
  • Offers an online prequalification quiz
  • Official messages that are compliant with federal laws
  • Full coin-back guarantee
  • Excellent customer service

Cons:

  • Pre-screening quiz requires your email address and phone number
  • Information about pricing is not provided upfront
  • Consultations with a medical professional are but done by phone

When you pursue an official ESA alphabetic character through Pettable , there are some upsides and downsides to consider. When y'all use Pettable to speak to a medical professional person about an ESA letter of the alphabet, Pettable offers a quick turnaround fourth dimension. 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 fourth dimension frame. Another do good of Pettable is its quick and easy online process.

Pettable online process

Pettable's process for an ESA alphabetic character is quick, easy, and online, so you can complete the necessary steps from your abode. That style, you tin avoid waiting in long lines to hash out your need for an ESA with a medical professional. Get-go, you'll accept a quiz to friction match yourself with a mental health provider. And so y'all'll have a consultation with this medical professional. Pettable also provides you with an official ESA letter that is compliant with federal laws. You can easily download your official ESA letter to your phone. This gives yous like shooting fish in a barrel access to your ESA alphabetic character and can profoundly benefit you when you demand your letter quickly and on manus. You can also impress 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 back up animal. 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 need to have with a medical professional is only offered over the phone. This is a necessary stride to receive your ESA recommendation. Once you complete the consultation with a medical professional, they volition decide if you could do good from an emotional support fauna. If the medical professional decides that you qualify, y'all will receive your ESA letter in merely 24 hours. Pettable is only ane of several options to talk over your needs for an emotional support animal.

CertaPet

CertaPet

Pros:

  • Fast turnaround process
  • Consultation with a licensed medical professional
  • Official letters that are compliant with state and federal laws
  • Offers both ESA and PSD (psychiatric service canis familiaris) consultations, for dwelling and travel purposes.
  • Over 7,500 five-Star Reviews
  • Serves U.S. and Canadian residents

Cons:

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

CertaPet is some other instance of a reputable establishment that can help you determine if you need an emotional back up pet. CertaPet offers several benefits to individuals seeking a quick, easy process to discuss their needs for an ESA. First, CertaPet has a fast turnaround process, just equally 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 solar day to participate in a free screening on CertaPet's website. This screening will give you an idea of whether you are a good candidate for an ESA or non. After the screening, you lot will take a consultation with a licensed medical professional via a telehealth date. Lastly, if the medical professional feels that you would do good from having an emotional support fauna, yous volition receive a copy of an official ESA letter.

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

When you complete the consultation with CertaPet, you will demand to pay a pocket-sized, non-refundable fee of $35. This is one downside among many benefits that CertaPet offers. CertaPet is defended to providing a streamlined, piece of cake-to-employ procedure to all individuals seeking an emotional support pet. While you may feel that an ESA is correct for you lot, CertaPet can help you know for sure after you speak to one of their licensed medical professionals. Pettable and CertaPet are excellent options to determine if you lot would benefit from an ESA, and Usa Service Animals is some other option.

US Service Animals

US Service Animals

Pros:

  • Lifetime acknowledgement for pets
  • Ever available for follow upwards questions
  • Offers multilingual customer support

Cons:

  • Charges money for unnecessary registration services
  • Does not offer separate housing and travel ESA messages
  • Not all pets authorize equally Us Service Animals

In that location are several things to consider when deciding on which service to apply to discuss your needs for an emotional support animal. If you decide your pet would serve y'all all-time equally a The states Service Animate being, the procedure to practice so is quick and easy. But go on in mind, not all pets will easily qualify as a US service pet. First, you need to enter your pet'south data into the US Service Animal official website.

Afterwards you enter your pet'due south information, speak to a medical professional person, and put your pet in the U.s. Service Animals system, you will receive your service letter of the alphabet and ID menu. US Service Animals will send your card to y'all in the mail and digitally. There are several benefits once you successfully discuss your needs for your pet to serve you every bit a U.s. service pet. Your pet volition have a lifetime acknowledgement as a United states of america service pet once it's officially a U.s. service pet.

Yous volition also have access to the The states Service Animals helpline if you have any questions or need whatsoever further help with your service pet. One time you talk over your needs for a service pet with a medical professional and authorize, y'all volition also have access to the US Service Animal legal squad. This can be beneficial if you experience your rights have been violated as an ESA owner. These are all benefits to keep in mind if you decide that your pet volition serve y'all as an emotional support fauna.

The main downside of pursuing a US Service Animals letter for your pet is that non all pets will hands qualify as US service pets. There are several things to keep in mind if you lot decide that your pet will all-time serve yous as either a service pet or an emotional back up pet. You need to consider the expect time for an official letter, whether you will accept a consultation with a licensed medical professional person, and the ease of the process to discuss your mental wellness needs. Another of import consideration is whether or not your animal qualifies as an ESA or a service pet.

Knowing the deviation betwixt an Emotional Support Animal and a Service Animal

An emotional support animal (ESA), or a support animal, is a pet whose presence is deemed past a professional to provide benefits for people who suffer from mental illnesses. Those who qualify have mental health weather that tin disrupt one's day-to-twenty-four hour period life activities and include weather like anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and clinical depression.

ESAs differ from service animals in that service animals are specifically trained to perform a diverseness of tasks (i.due east., observe seizures earlier they strike, provide deep pressure therapy, bring medication to their handler.) While information technology is typical for a domestic dog to be registered as an ESA, that doesn't necessarily mean that other animals cannot, as in that location are no rules that specify what an ESA animal should exist. This means that, if you have a true cat, and yous are accounted qualified by a mental health professional —you can annals your feline companion every bit an ESA. Yet, in that location are quite a few things that you have to consider before registering your cat as an emotional service animal.

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

The only kind of registration that y'all will need is your ESA letter from a therapist. In that location is no official annals that you are legally required to sign your cat up for. Additionally, an emotional support true cat doesn't have to clothing a special belong or tag of whatever sort, declaring your companion's condition every bit a support beast.

Beware of scammers

Because the process for registering your cat equally an ESA is adequately simple and straightforward and not at all as stringent as registering a service animal, there are many companies taking reward of this fact and merits that they can "officially certify" your ESA. Without whatsoever prior knowledge of ESAs, a pet owner could end upward paying money for an illegitimate document or phony certification. Unlike support animals, an ESA is non guaranteed into whatever venue.

Your ESA is covered nether the Fair Housing Human activity

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

Housing that isn't covered by FHA

Rental spaces of four units or less (where the owner is really living in one of the units), unmarried family homes that are sold/rented past the possessor without the apply of a broker, and housing that is operated by individual 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 fauna may be able to travel with you inside the airplane motel but due to significant abuse of this regulation , it is currently nether scrutiny and the rules may change. Obtaining a letter from a licensed professional is crucial in having your companion fly with you. Make certain you have the letter of the alphabet dated no afterwards than ane twelvemonth earlier you utilise it. Contact your airline a few days before your scheduled flight to make proper arrangements.

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

Nether the Americans with Disabilities Human action, emotional support animals are not considered service animals. This is a really important stardom because support animals do not enjoy the same type of access as service animals. Services animals are specifically trained to perform a specific task for their owner and they are not viewed equally pets, but workers. Service animals help blind people go effectually, assistance those with epilepsy know when a seizure volition strike and then much more. Today, the ADA will but consider dogs as service animals and they must undergo the appropriate certification. Cats were previously allowed to exist service animals, provided they were trained. Those who have a service cat that was previously certified are commonly grandfathered into the program… just cats are no longer immune to exist considered service animals.

Ofttimes Asked Questions About Support Cats

Are cats proficient for emotional support?

Cats are affectionate and can easily bail with their caregivers. Cats are small, placidity, make clean, and can ofttimes be compassionate animals. Because of this, cats provide emotional support to their owners and make excellent emotional back up animals.

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

While you don't need to have an ESA pet, the process is simple if yous decide to hash out your medical needs for an ESA pet with a physician.  You lot volition demand to complete a curt screening and have a consultation with a licensed medical professional who will determine if y'all qualify for an ESA true cat letter today.

Can a landlord decline an emotional support cat?

No. If your emotional support cat does not pose a threat to others, your landlord cannot refuse your emotional support animal. Under the Fair Housing Deed, a landlord cannot refuse a tenant because they have a pet if that pet is an ESA.

How much does an emotional cat cost?

When y'all seek out an emotional support cat, you will normally need to pay the fees for your screening and your consultation with a medical professional person. This toll ranges depending on which establishment you use to get your ESA alphabetic character.

Are emotional support cats required to have a pet eolith?

No. Pet deposit fees are waived once yous have your official ESA letter and you share your letter with your landlord. It is unlawful for your landlord to charge you a pet deposit when your pet is an emotional support cat.

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