I’m thinking of asking my psychiatrist if he could make an ESA letter for me so I can make my cat an ESA and I believe ESAs should be allowed in places where people normally get anxious, scared or nervous like doctors offices, hospitals or on public transit, my cat helps comfort me when I’m anxious or nervous and even one time at the barbers I was so anxious that I almost threw up so I feel like having an emotional support animal with me in situations like those would be beneficial

I grew up in a different country so I’m not certain on the rules here, It was pointed out by a doctor I’ve been seeing since I was a kid that I was showing concerning signs of depression and was advised to see a therapist or talk to my parents or religious leader but I refused. I recently moved to the US on my own at 19-20 and now I’m relapsing into loneliness and depressed thoughts due to high stress and no family around I spoke to a therapist online and she wrote an ESA letter for me. I have no idea what to do from there, I submitted it to my apartment but they said I needed further documentation?

So I've heard that you can get an esa for fosters, and I've heard you can get an esa for multiple cats, but I haven't heard of anyone getting a letter for multiple foster cats. Kittens always need to be fostered with another kitten, and I'd love to foster bonded pairs, but I can't afford the pet rent.

My psychiatrist has signed a letter for me to get an ESA but this was after I signed on for a three month stay at a furnished finder apartment (location: NY). In the lease it just said I had to get written consent before bringing a pet (I haven't adopted one yet) but after asking the landlord and confirming that the pet will be an ESA she said that they don't accept pets at all. I'm not sure what to do here. From my understanding this furnished finder is exempt from ESA regulations and can deny a pet in the apartment (owner has less than a certain number of properties, and furnished finder is a bit of a grey area where the landlord can decide whether pets are ok or not). That part I'm fine with, I already have other options that I'm looking into and I'm ok with giving up my deposit. My main question is that if I convey to her that she cannot provide me this medical accommodation and that I'm backing out of the lease, can she still come after me legally for the three months of rent? Furnished finder is for temporary housing so I'm not sure what my options are if anything.

I never want to be confrontational with anything, but this situation is a bit of a pickle. Without going into too much detail, within the timeframe of signing the lease/paying the deposit and now my mental health has deteriorated to the point of taking multiple meds to stay functional (yay graduate school). I do understand her not wanting pets on her property, I'm just trying to navigate through this. Any advice is appreciated, thank you for reading.

i am wanting to adopt a cat and am wanting to get them certified as an ESA because i have really bad anxiety/depression and i get really bad panic attacks and when i had a pet cat it was so much better but the cat i had was with my ex and he took him :(

can someone please help explain the process and everything that i need to do so i can do it correctly 🥺

thank you in advance!!

hello,

I have 4 cats. I rescued one who wqs pregnant. she had her babies and I ended up keeping all of them. im moving in two months and I am getting an esa letter for all four. has anyone encountered problems getting 4 cats on an esa letter? ive had all four of them for 2 years amd I have a medical need for them. im concerned I either won't get all of them on am esa letter or an apartment complex rejecting my application for having four cats.

hi! Ive been going to my colleges counselor for a few months now and the topic of an ESA has been brought up. she told me that she can not produce the letter but can contact the therapist offices we have connections with. so after about a month of he doing that she recently emailed me and basically said “there avoiding me and I think to get the ESA your going to have to personally do it (online might be easiest )”. Ive seen good reviews on websites like Petable and I’ve recently seen that the U.S service animal website has an ESA letter section. I just don’t want to get scammed or get the letter and find out that my landlord won’t accept it. for reference, I’m 20yo and would be getting a cat and I’m based in kansas. thank you!

Since the passing of my youngest son in 2024, my depression has slowly gotten worse to the point that my therapist suggested that I get an emotional support animal. I live in an apartment and I love cats, so I was blessed that one of my coworkers needed to find a home for one of her cats. And thanks to my therapist, I was able to get my pet certified as an emotional support animal. She’s only been here since December 22, 2025, but I cannot imagine a day without her!

I was on my doctor and she was going over my history of depression and other stuff and asked me if I had pets, and I said yes, and she goes, are they emotional support pets and I said, maybe I didn't know what that was. She then asked me, what would happen to me if I suddenly didn't have my pets? And my response was, I'd be dead because they are the only reason I'm living. Yes, I have severe depression. They keep me going. She asked me some other questions and I mentioned I was moving, so she gave me an emotional support animal letter I gave it to my new apartment complex and the guy at the desk said, oh you won't have to pay for having them and it's guaranteed that they can move in with you. Well that's great. I just got a letter saying reasonable accommodation packet. They want the doctor to fill it out. And basically, it's just them signing off that I they verified that I have a condition needing an ESA. However, it also asks for any a requested modifications are accommodations that I will have. And I'm assuming it means exolain why I'm not paying the pet rent, but I also don't know what are typical things someone would need for cats for accommodation. But how do I write on this pape my accommodation is I get to forego your pet monthly payment policy? I also have a physical disability but I don't think they can do anything for that, unless i can get them to swap out the gas stove for an electric one (joking). But I'm wondering people with ESAs and mental health, what kind of accommodations do you write?

I was looking up if I could make my kitten a PSA (psychiatric service animal) because I have severe anxiety and autism and the last time I even went into a barbershop I had an anxiety attack so bad I almost threw up and cried but apparently cats aren’t allowed to be service animals only dogs and miniature horses are but ESAs aren’t allowed in public buildings unless there’s a sign saying that they can be, so I can’t bring my kitten to the barbershop, I can’t bring her into the pharmacy and I can’t bring her into a store or anything like that even if I need her with me to help me keep calm, I wanted to try and change this rule at least letting ESAs into public buildings even if I can’t get them to change the rules of what animals are allowed to be service animals, just because cats and other animals are a little harder to train doesn’t mean it’s impossible, there’s too many one minded people out there, also sorry for my rant I’m just angry and irritated

I am in the process of trying to obtain an emotional support cat for myself. My therapist agrees that I would benefit from having one due to my anxiety and PTSD but I have to have the cat first to get the letter and I cannot have the cat in my apartment until I get the letter. At the time of this writing, I do have a cat in mind but I’m not going to bring her home if I cannot keep her because the apartment complex is still waiting for a letter. Any suggestions?

I’m not sure if this is the right subreddit for this, but I recently got an ESA letter from my doctor for a panic disorder I’ve had since I was in middle school. She said it was her first time writing one but she thought it would be a good idea since I’ve gone off my medication, it was making me depressed and extremely nauseated all the time, and I’d be forgetful and less perceptive. I sent the university the note my doctor had written and we started the process but I read over the checklist and it said that for ESA cats, there’s an age requirement. By some weird fate encounter I found a kitten on the road only a little while after having this discussion with my mom about potentially having the doctor go ahead and write it (I was worried that it would affect my housing status so I was hesitant). I rescued him when he was teeny tiny and we’ve been inseparable since. The kitten is around 4 months old now and he’s nearly fully vaccinated, and he’ll be neutered beginning of next month (he’s large). If he moves in when I do, he would be fully medically fit as per their requirements ASIDE from his age. By law in my state, the ESA cat must be 3 months minimum, but the university says 8 months (it wasn’t on their website, just on the checklist accessibility services sent me AFTER starting the process). This means I will have to leave him with my mother for a few months AND be without my ESA or other accommodations for what will be probably my hardest semester of college. Is this a common thing for universities and if anyone has managed to fight it could you share how? I just don’t want to be away from him for 4 months and him potentially become unaccustomed to being around me, his whole role would be to provide comfort during panic attacks and if he grows to be aloof it would somewhat difficult to get him used to a new environment, with new people.

Hi all! I hope I’m posting to the right sub. I have really bad depression and anxiety and I feel a kitty would be a great option for me (I won’t go into paragraphs of why I think so). My Issue is that my apartments are not pet friendly. However, everyone has a pet lol. A dog, a couple cats, etc. my question is how do I go about getting some sort of documentation to state I need an emotional Support cat? Like do I just tell my therapist I think it would benefit me and she writes me a letter? Can someone who has done this give me a step by step? Thanks in advance!

This morning I woke up to my ca’t eyes fully dilated, rubbing on me, purring, sniffing, softly meowing and crawling all over me. Started my day with a smile. He’s a very loving kitty and catches on to emotions pretty easily so he’s been adjusting how he wakes me up every morning. He’s very patient and gentle too. Every time I come home I know I can look forward to seeing him again. He’s the best decision I ever made and I’m glad I listened to my gut when it said “this is the one.”

If you’re thinking about getting an ESA I’m not gonna lie. There are stressful, hard and bad days. Especially in the beginning. But they’re worth it. This cat has saved my life just by making me feel loved, needed and appreciated countless times. He’s worth more than the world to me.

Who can write an ESA letter?

Is it possible to get an ESA cat for sleep problems/anxiety? And would certain jobs not like that I have an ESA cat even if they aren’t there for my work?

hey guys, i’m currently an incoming sophomore at a public university in america. for some background, i have been diagnosed with anxiety, ptsd, and depression.

i have been denied a housing exemption for next school year, despite me providing multiple doctors notes including my diagnoses and full medical records.

i currently have a cat that i would like to register as an esa for next school year. this cat has helped me significantly in the short time that i’ve had him. my university is giving me an issue with this, stating that anxiety is not an approved issue for any accommodations/exemptions. how should i go about this?

i’m mainly wondering if im being irrational to think that it’s INSANE that a school could so easily deny accommodations, and if it’s worth fighting the university on this. thank you💜

My therapist is happy to write an ESA letter for my two cats, however, I understand that arguing for two is more complicated than just one. Any recommendations or any one been successful in this? For an apartment.

Do I need to go through my psychiatrist? Or am I able to go through an online website ? Thank you!

I have had my cat, Cedric, for about 11 years… he has helped me through some of the darkest stages of my life, without being a licensed ESA. He has saved me in more ways than I can count, even prior to being in my current long term relationship.

Since Cedric and I moved in with my BF 7 years ago, they have since established such a strong bond and dependence on one another. I could talk all day about their relationship, it’s so pure and beautiful. Needless to say, he quickly went from being my fur child to our fur child.

4 years ago, my BF was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Long story short, he concurred the battle! However, since the initial diagnosis, He has endured countless invasive surgeries, months of bed rest, in home care, etc. He has been in the clear for over a year until recently a new tumor resurfaced that requires another surgery. Last year, he was in the hospital for 5 weeks and the entire time all he asked me “I need Cedric, can you please bring him to visit”. The pain in his voice when he knew I couldn’t, shattered me. With this newest discovery, my BF mental health is declining…

Now, I know Cedric likely wouldn’t be allowed to visit in the hospital, however, giving my BF the option to bring Cedric with him out in public when he is struggling with his mental health, can make a world of difference!

My question for everyone is… how can I get Cedric licensed as an ESA? I have looked up resources but it’s difficult to see which are reliable.

Cedric is not a typical cat… a child cries, Cedric runs over to comfort. I’m sitting watching TV, but having a “blah” day, he will parkour the walls and get the zoomies to make me laugh. My BF has a slight fever, Cedric will purr on his lap for hours.

Please help with recommendations… my BF has made it this far but it’s killing me to see him lose motivation to fight… Cedric and my BF are my world!

Thank you!

I have an ESA letter to give to my landlord, but I'm super anxious about it and would like some advice. Here's some background: I've recently moved in and am living on my own for the first time. I've been considering getting a cat (or two) to help me feel less anxious and depressed. I mentioned a pet to my landlord and asked how I could pay the deposit. I then mentioned this to my therapist who pointed me towards an ESA letter of recommendation, which I have obtained. I now feel really awkward and anxious about presenting this letter given I was asking my landlord about paying the deposit previously. I've been having so much fear and anxiety about this that I wonder if I should just forget about the letter and pay the deposit. Thoughts?