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Emotional Support Cat 2024: How To Register An ESA Online
Updated on
- Written by Mitchelle Morgan, Health Writer
Medically reviewed by
Kathy Shattler, MS, RDN
Many people usually associate emotional support animals[1] (ESA) with dogs only. Even though most states recognize dogs and miniature horses as ESA, various cat breeds can also be service animals.
Emotional support cats are an excellent way for people suffering from emotional disabilities like social anxiety or depression to live happier lives. In fact, they can make fantastic companions and provide the same benefits as emotional support dogs do.
Nonetheless, this article will answer all the major questions surrounding the issue of emotional cat registration.
Can Your Cat Be An Emotional Support Animal?
Emotional support cat registration is attainable[2], and anyone who wants to have an emotional support cat can do so. Emotional support cats are allowed in workplaces, schools, and even campuses if the owner produces the ESA cat certification.
You may be thinking that your cat cannot possibly act as an emotional support animal. You might think a cat can’t provide the same level of relief and support as dogs do because they are not known for their social skills. However, this isn’t true at all.
Cats are perfect for this job as many have attested that they bring love and comfort into their lives since the beginning of civilization.
Cats can offer many benefits to those who need them to help with their mental health or disabilities. There are even some countries where cats play the role of service animals.
What is an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)?
An ESA is a type of therapy animal that provides companionship for those with mental or emotional disabilities. The term “emotional support animals” was first coined in the 1990s, and it has become increasingly popular as more people struggle with depression and anxiety.
You may be wondering if your pet counts as an ESA. The answer to this question depends on the specific needs of the individual who wants to have their pet registered. The registration process can take anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks, depending on whether you need a letter from a therapist or medical professional confirming your diagnosis.
How Do I Qualify To Get A Free Emotional Support Cat Registration?
It is easy to qualify your cat as an emotional support animal if you suffer from mental disability or illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Below are the requirements you need[3] to meet to get your emotional support animal ESA certified.
The foremost requirement is to have a cat. If you don’t have a cat, it might be worth your time to adopt one from the ASPCA or Humane Society. They are both great organizations that take care of animals, and they can provide them with loving homes where they will receive all their needs.
The second thing you need to prove is that this service cat is a companion that offers assistance and companionship. The bond between humans and cats is unique. Cats can be affectionate, playful companions that give you emotional or mental disability support when life gets tough.
The next requirement is getting an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional. An ESA letter is an emotional support animal letter that a therapist issues. In this letter, the medical professional certifies that the person has some disability and needs their pet to lead an everyday life.
Suppose you are looking for a home or travel often, this Emotional Service animals certificate will come in handy. In this case, contact your landlord and airline to see if they are willing to accommodate you. If not, provide them with an ESA letter that would help show how much of a need there is for travel assistance in certain situations. This is helpful when it comes time to purchase air tickets or seek accommodation.
How To Register Your Cat As An Emotional Support Animal Online
You need to take a screening test through Certapet, an online company that pairs tenants with medical professionals, by following these three easy steps.
Step 1: Get your screening test done
The first requirement is to know if you are a good fit for an ESA Letter? It only takes five minutes; it is confidential and easy. You will need to pass the screening test to get an emotional support animal letter. But no need to worry, it is pretty elementary, and everything is straightforward.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: Get your ESA cat registration certificate
To get to this point, you must have a therapist confirm you have a mental condition, and getting an ESA cat would help make you better. The tests are to examine your emotional and mental capability. After the assessment and a medical professional has given the go-ahead for you to get a therapy cat, Certapet prepares your ESA certificate.
The Certapet officials will custom-make your ESA letter for your specific needs, and they will have it delivered in no time. All you have to do is qualify for one of the free tests, print it out, or let them send you a customized version.
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Lawsuits For Your Emotional Support Cats
Here are all the laws regarding emotional support cat ownership and all ESAs in general:
The Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)[4] prohibits employment, transportation, and public accommodation discrimination against people with disabilities. The ADA also ensures equal access to state and local government programs across the country for individuals who experience disabilities.
A service animal, such as a therapy cat, must be harnessed and leashed. However, an individual who cannot use these devices needs to maintain control of the animals through voice signals or other adequate controls.
Service animals can enter local government buildings and public venues. This is due to the Department of Justice’s regulations under Titles II and III, which elaborate on these duties for disabled individuals.
The regulations that define a service animal are particular that the only animals recognized as emotional support are dogs and miniature horses. In addition, the considered service animals in question must have been individually trained to perform tasks related to their owner’s disability.
Fair Housing Act
The FHA prohibits discrimination in housing by administering the laws to ensure fair treatment of all people, while HUD works with local authorities and agencies to enforce this act.
Under the Fair Housing Act[5], any animal is potentially an accommodation for a disability. Although assistance animals are different from pets in that they provide support and alleviate symptoms related to the person’s disability, it can be enough just by “providing emotional support.”
The FHA allows landlords to interrogate tenants regarding their disabilities, but only if it is not immediately apparent. The landlord can ask for proof that the tenant has a legally recognized disability[6] and how the requested accommodations will address said disability. So even with a therapy cat, you may need to provide your tenant with some proof by delivering an emotional animal support letter.
In some cases, though, courts have ruled this as discriminatory against those with mental health conditions. There are no physical signs or symptoms of such disorders despite them being real.
The Air Carrier Access Act
The Air Carrier Access Act[7] prohibits discrimination against passengers on airplanes, and the Department of Transportation regulates this. The term “service animal” means dogs but includes other animals such as emotional support animals like therapy cats that help people with disabilities while traveling or flying in planes.
Airlines can be stricter when it comes to ESA users. They are allowed to ask for more information from the passenger. These are such as a note from their doctor dated within that year. This note should state that they need an ESA during flight. This is the proper documentation for anyone traveling with a Siamese cat or any other cat breed.
Conclusion
The ESA letter is a great way to ensure you’ll have the emotional support of your furry friend when traveling and in your apartment. It can also help some landlords if they are not pet-friendly or allow pets at all, and it may even be necessary for certain jobs like teaching elementary school students.
If you feel that your cat is the best emotional support companion, apply for an ESA today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cats can be emotional support and play the role of therapists in certain situations for those with emotional, neurological, and cognitive disabilities.
A housing provider can ask for information that reasonably supports an accommodation request. Suppose someone submits documentation showing they receive state or public benefits because of a disability, as well as other forms of proof such as letters from doctors and therapists. In that case, this is sufficient evidence to support their claim. A person does NOT have to be receiving or even eligible for public disability benefits to get approval.
A resident may request an accommodation for their assistance animal either before or after they acquire it. In fact, even if the housing provider attempts to terminate a lease because of the presence of this kind of pet, such timing may create an inference against good faith on the part of the tenant-landlord/lady relationship. All in all, a legally compliant ESA letter is essential.
Service animals need extensive training to help individuals with disabilities perform daily tasks, while emotional support animals provide companionship. The main difference between service and emotional support animals is that the former can go to any place where the public is allowed, while the latter has certain restrictions. An emotional support cat could very well be just an indoor cat.
Service animals help individuals with disabilities perform daily tasks by assisting them to move around or communicate better without much assistance from a third party. Whereas ESAs provide companionship for those going through mental health issues such as depression and other mental illnesses.
The Air Carrier Access Act once allowed all ESAs to fly with their owner, free of charge. However, the law has been updated, and while some airlines may allow them on board without a fee or in-cabin so long as they are well behaved, others will demand that you pay additional fees to get the accommodation.
Treating ESA’s like regular pets when flying instead of treating them like service animals mean your cat won’t be able to come into the cabin but rather travel separately— if possible at all.
As the homeowners association documentation states in their Guidance, “housing providers may not limit the breed or size of an animal used as an assistance animal just because they are concerned about property damage.” However, suppose the housing provider can prove that having this specific emotional support cat would directly threaten or cause a fundamental alteration to the living situation. In that case, they can refuse service legally.
There are two circumstances where a person could need more than one assistance animal. The first is when they have a disability-related need for multiple animals. The second is if two people live together, each with disabilities who require separate support from an animal. In both cases, HUD would evaluate requests individually using criteria described in guidance documents to ensure all protections were met under fair housing laws while allowing household members access to reasonable accommodations as needed.
States have begun to create laws to address people who might be faking not being able-bodied and getting fake ESA letters. These laws define housing providers’ obligations regarding requests and penalties if someone falsely claims an animal as their assistance animal. Some of these restrictions are given to medical professionals when it comes down to trying to acquire the ESA status.
+ 9 sources
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- Mass.gov. (2021). About service and assistance animals. [online] Available at: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/about-service-and-assistance-animals
- Von Bergen, C.W. (2015). Emotional Support Animals, Service Animals, and Pets on Campus. Administrative Issues Journal Education Practice and Research, [online] 5(1). Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1062480.pdf.
- US Service Animals Blog. (2018). Emotional Support Cats | Benefits & How To Register Your Cat. [online] Available at: https://usserviceanimals.org/blog/emotional-support-cats/
- Dol.gov. (2021). Americans with Disabilities Act | U.S. Department of Labor. [online] Available at: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/disability/ada
- www.hud.gov. (n.d.). Fair Housing: Rights and Obligations | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). [online] Available at: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/fair_housing_rights_and_obligations#:~:text=It%20is%20illegal%20to%20discriminate.
- Eeoc.gov. (1992). Your Employment Rights as an Individual with a Disability | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. [online] Available at: https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/your-employment-rights-individual-disability#:~:text=Under%20the%20ADA%20%2C%20you%20have,limits%20a%20major%20life%20activity.&text=To%20be%20protected%20under%20the,opposed%20to%20a%20minor%2C%20impairment.
- Transportation.gov. (2019). Air Carrier Access Act | US Department of Transportation. [online] Available at: https://www.transportation.gov/tags/air-carrier-access-act
Written by:
Mitchelle Morgan, Health Writer
Medically reviewed by:
Medically reviewed by:
