Besides dogs, emotional support cats are also getting famous. People who need an easy to accommodate and independent kind of ESA prefer cats over dogs. However, to live and travel with your ESA cat, you need a legal and genuine ESA letter.
Wondering how to get a genuine ESA letter? Don’t worry, we are here to help you. We provide 100% genuine and real ESA letters that are written and signed by licensed therapists. These letters help you live and travel with your animal easily and without paying any fee.
Read on to know more about how to get an emotional support cat and a genuine ESA letter.
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 as 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, there are a number of other cat breeds that 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.
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.
Following these three simple steps, you can get a free screening from a medical professional in your area.
Step 1: Conduct the Screening Test
Is it possible to get an emotional support animal letter if you do not qualify for one? It just takes five minutes, and it's private and simple. You must pass the screening test to obtain an emotional support animal letter. However, there is no need to be concerned; it is rather simple, and everything is clear.
Step 2: Get Consultation From a Certified Expert In Mental Health
We match you with your state's licensed mental health provider on our site. We will contact you to confirm the telehealth appointment. This is to ensure that you are eligible for an ESA cat letter.
If you want to pick the right therapy cat, contact us at RealESALetter.com, and we will pair you with a qualified medical specialist to evaluate mental health concerns and mental illnesses. They check whether or not you require a therapy cat after they've seen how well your mental health is doing.
Step 3: Obtain an ESA Cat Certificate
To get this far, a therapist must confirm that you have a mental condition and that obtaining an ESA cat would assist your recovery. The examinations are designed to analyze your emotional and mental capabilities. RealESALetter.com get your ESA certification after the evaluation and authorization of a medical professional.
Your therapist will tailor your ESA letter to your unique requirements, and it will be sent promptly. Just fill our online questionnaire and our licensed therapist will screen your answers and write the letter for you if you qualify.
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, imprisonment, depending on the state and its laws.
Such sites are clearly misguiding people by 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 right 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 is 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 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 wherever you go with your animal.
Contact us and get your ESA cat letter today!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some therapeutic advantages of cat and animal support?
Cats may help people with various emotional, neurological, and cognitive difficulties. They can be emotional support and play the role of therapists in specific circumstances.
When trying to accommodate a non-observable disability, what evidence may a landlord/lady demand for proof of such a condition?
A housing provider can request information that is relevant to a housing need. Assume that someone provides documentation demonstrating they receive state or public assistance and other types of proof such as letters from physicians and therapists.
This would be enough proof to back their claim if that is the case. To obtain approval, a person does not have to be on public disability assistance or qualify for it.
Is it necessary to notify someone before receiving an assistance animal?
An assistance animal may be granted an exemption before or after its acquisition by a resident. In addition, even if the housing provider attempts to cancel a lease due to the presence of this sort of pet, such timing might imply bad faith on the part of the tenant-landlord/lady relationship. In conclusion, an ESA letter that is lawfully compliant is critical.
What is the distinction between an emotional support animal and a service animal?
Companionship, protection, and affection are some of the non-medical benefits service dogs provide to their disabled owners. Service animals require lots of training to assist individuals with disabilities with routine activities, but emotional support animals just offer companionship.
The most significant distinction between service and emotional support animals is that the former may go anywhere the general public is permitted, whereas the latter has certain limitations. An emotional support cat could just be a housecat.
Companion animals assist people with impairments in performing routine activities, such as going from one place to another or communicating more efficiently without needing a third party's assistance.
Companionship for individuals suffering from mental health problems, such as depression and other mental illnesses, is provided by ESAs.
Is it possible for you to fly with your emotional support cat as an ESA?
The Air Carrier Access Act permitted all ESAs to fly for free with their owner. The legislation, however, has been updated. While some airlines may let them on board without charge or in-cabin as long as they are well-behaved, others will demand additional payments to acquire the accommodation.
When you fly with your cat, treat him like regular pets rather than a service animal. Your cat will not be able to enter the cabin but will have to travel separately—if at all possible—as a result of treating ESA's like ordinary pets when flying instead of treating them as service animals.
Is it possible that an ESA cat letter will be denied based on the breed of cat?
“Housing providers may not restrict the breed or size of an assistance animal solely because they are concerned about property damage,” according to the documentation from the homeowners association.
Suppose a property owner can show that having this specific emotional support cat would directly endanger or cause a fundamental change in the living situation. In that case, the housing provider may lawfully refuse service.
Is it possible to have more than one emotional support cat?
The first scenario is when an individual requires more than one assistance animal due to a disability-related need for multiple animals. The second is when two people share a home, each with a disability requiring different assistance from an animal.
HUD would evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis, using criteria laid out in fair housing instructions to ensure that all legal requirements are satisfied while allowing household members access to necessary modifications.
Is there any additional state or federal legislation that applies to assistance animals in addition to the Fair Housing Act?
States have started to pass legislation in an attempt to prevent people who aren't genuinely disabled from obtaining fake ESA papers. These laws set forth the duties of housing providers in response to requests and fines if someone fraudulently claims an assistance animal.
When it comes to attempting to receive the ESA status, some of these limitations are placed on medical professionals.