How To Get My Cat To Be An Emotional Support Animal

Can Cats Be Emotional Support Animals?

Yep, cats tin can be emotional support animals (ESAs). An emotional back up cat can comfort someone with anxiety, depression or other mental wellness issues.

Information technology's of import to note, however, that ESAs are dissimilar from service animals. This ways they don't have the same protections by law. That doesn't negate the benefits they can provide their owners, though.

Benefits of Emotional Support Cats on Mental Health

Emotional support cats (and other ESAs) offer a multifariousness of benefits for their owners' mental health. Studies have shown cats reduce stress and blood pressure levels in their owners.

Additionally, research shows ESAs tin can lower feet, reduce depression, decrease feelings of loneliness, and may even offer benefits to those with PTSD.

Lack of sleep tin can besides impact mental health. One survey, however, found some people slept better when they slept with their pets.

Emotional Support Cats vs. Therapy Cats vs. Service Animals

At that place are several different types of "support" animals. Understanding the difference tin can help you lot determine which will best serve your needs. Different support animals have different protections as well, which you'll demand to know if you plan to take your emotional support cat with y'all when traveling or under other circumstances.

Emotional Back up Cats

Emotional back up animals are protected under the Fair Housing Act from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This means emotional back up cats can alive with their owners, regardless of a landlord's or building director'south pet policies.

In fact, HUD specifically says, "Emotional support animals, past their very nature, and without training, may relieve depression and anxiety, and/or help reduce stress-induced pain in persons with certain medical weather condition and affected by stress."

Although ESAs are protected past HUD, equally of Dec 2020, they are no longer allowed on airplanes . This means if you need to travel with your emotional back up cat, yous'll demand to make other accommodations for her, such equally using a pet carrier.

Therapy Cats

Therapy cats (and other therapy animals) are unlike from ESAs in that they are trained and handled by their owners and are part of an private'south treatment process.

Therapy cats may visit hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and more with their owners to provide condolement and support to patients and residents. Mental wellness professionals may also use therapy animals in their offices to help clients feel more at ease during sessions.

Service Animals

Although some cats may alert their owners to medical emergencies, dogs are the only animals that tin can be designated as "service animals."

In the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Department of Justice defines service animals as "dogs that are individually trained to exercise piece of work or perform tasks for people with disabilities."

Service animals can back-trail the person they assist into spaces that do not typically allow pets, such as grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals and more.

Emotional support cats tin provide numerous benefits to their owners. If y'all think you might benefit from an ESA, information technology's of import to speak with your dr. or mental wellness professional to decide what brute would provide you lot with the greatest benefits based on your current mental and physical health.

If you don't have a true cat (or don't want one right at present), evidence suggests watching true cat videos online may also requite you a mood boost.

For more than on the benefits of cat ownership, visit our Pet Expertise folio.

Source: https://www.purina.com/articles/cat/getting-a-cat/emotional-support-cats

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