Emotional support animal - CAT

Hello all 

I have two sons who have ADHD and ASD we are trying to get permission for them to have a cat as an emotional support animal especially for my eldest who suffers from anxiety 

Our Management company requires a letter from a medical professional recommending that he have the cat as an emotional support animal.

We have sent a letter asking our GP for assistance but is there anywhere else that anyone can suggest we try in order to get this letter please?

  • What's up? Have you made any progress on your problem? I am looking for a solution to the same issue, as I want to get a cat as psychological support. Still, I can't find the full package of documents I need to submit an application for this procedure. It seems to me that the cat will be able to relieve my anxiety and make me happier. I even chose a breed from the list on kittyinsight.com/.../ since all the furriest breeds are collected there. I hope that I will succeed and I will be able to make a little friend. I will be glad for any advice or comments.

  • The O/P mentions a "management company" requiring her to get a "permission".

    From my own (quite unpopular, I'll admit) perspective, our "freedom loving" lives do seem to involve an awful lot of begging for permissions.. 

    To return to the main point, I'm three months in to having two indoor only cats after a life of living with cats who like the cat flap. The amount of shite and filth I have to clean up is daunting, and our standard of living has plummetted! I'm still devising new cleaning strategies to reduce the stench of ammonia coming from the cat box. Pro-tip for around the litter box, a dyson DC35 or similar seems perfect, they can be bought "used" cheaply ALWAYS with batteries that have failed... A decent aftermarket battery seems to cost about 20 quid and if looked after (If not stored fully charged or fully discharged, they are finicky things) lasts a year or two.

    But today, after a mere three months the small female one who "out of the box" (we got our new pair at ten years of age already, from a rescue place) would have NOTHING to do with me, AND who creates most of the visible filth by means of her beautiful fluffy coat that seems to be shed and replaced each working day) at last  let me wander up where she was snoozing and stroke her without getting up and legging it. (I did ask nicely first though, but it's still been a solid "NO" until today)

    So I guess I'll just have to keep working on the domestic cleaning and freshening skills..

    AND THE GARDEN. Since our indoor cats spent ten years of their lives living indoors, and we have a deadly road outside, I'm not confident of letting them outside at all unless it's in a "walled garden" situation. OTOH if I can give them access to the cat flap, there's a good chance that my workload will reduce and more importantly, getting in and out of the house will become easier, 'cos that lovely ginger one he sure would like a bit of outside time, and a bigger area to run about in, I can see that whenever I go to put out the milk bottles or play with him.

  • Old post I know, but since it's about the first time I've ever seen "Plastic" not understand a concept way better than me I'll weigh in.

    I discovered the meaning of the word "Emotional support animal" last October when my partners cat abruptly (and unexpectedly) died.

    Up until that point I considered that I supported her cat. I fed him, I played with him, took him to the vet, and spent several years hoping that one day he'd actually come to me when I called him, or express a bit of liking for me. Eventually I realised that he liked me well enough, just not in the way that my previous cat liked me. 

    Of course you have to leave them at home from time to time. The support part kicks in when you realise that no matter how bad or challenging your day is, your cat is waiting for you (to feed them primarily!) when you get home, and although it's work that you have to do (seemingly without reward). before you can do your own stuff curiously, you are looking forwards to it...

  • I don’t understand why you need permission to buy a cat. My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 10. She was in a bad state, and I took her to therapy sessions. Everything the therapist suggested might help. Once, my kid told me that she would like a cat to cuddle and play with as moral support. I talked to the therapist, and she said it was a great idea. So I searched online and bought her a Siamese cat. You can visit the site and see more details. I didn’t have to write a letter, and honestly, I don’t understand why anyone should. Whether you buy one for moral support or some other reason, you can do it. It’s not illegal to buy animals, lol. I hope your kids get better soon. Good luck.

  • But your argument falls flat because the animal would not be leaving the house - it's not supporting them anywhere except at home - and if they don't need it out of the house, then it's just a pet.        I can't see your management company agreeing with you.  

    You might have a better chance is it was a professionally trained dog from a legal-argument point of view.

  • How would a cat be trained as anything other than just a pet?   How old are the boys?   Would a cat be safe with them?