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I have diabetes. I have a cat. She has saved my life 6 times now. When my blood sugar drops. She acts crazy and will meow and become very loud and persists until she wakes me.
My Bobby does the same thing. Just tonight, he came and woke me. I felt awful and when I checked my sugar it was down to 50. I’ve been having issues getting my medication doses right, and this is the fourth or fifth time he has provided this service for me. He trained himself, BTW, and I’m grateful for his love and support.
I own my home, I have an INDOOR cat as emotional support companion. When are on my patio, she is harnessed and leashed. I also have a pet stroller should I choose to be in the small community.
The HOA board continues to harass me regarding the pet policy which requires annual vaccine/registration.
As a longtime pet owner, over 60 years, I know how to keep my furbabies healthy.
I do not expect to be harassed about my companion that resides inside my home!
Thank you for allowing me this outlet to vent.
I suffer from panic attacks. My cats will lay on my chest too help me calm down. Now if that doesn’t qualify as a service animal I don’t know what does. I already have my cats registered as ESA. How do we get cats included in the ADA Service animal?
Unfortunately cats cannot qualify as service animals under current ADA rules.
The status on service cats is more complex than you state. The information in this article is both incomplete and misleading.
Thanks to Eric Holder, Barak Obama’s attorney general, the only service animals the federal government recognizes are dogs and miniature horses.
From a practical perspective, the ADA sets the MINIMUM standard for accommodating the disabled under FEDERAL law. However, many states recognize species other than dogs and miniature horses as service animals and they (and their handlers) can enjoy protection under STATE law. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, cats are recognized as service animals. This means that a landlord who states that their apartment is ‘no pets’ can not deny the opportunity to rent the apartment because a disabled potential tenant has. a service cat. Nor can the landlord charge additional rent or an additional security deposit because the potential tenant has a service cat. Service cats enjoy the right to public accommodation. They also enjoy the right to travel on public conveyance, as long as it is within the Commonwealth. They are expected to display exemplary behavior in public, (no hissing, growling, threatening gestures, inappropriate elimination, etc) that is, if you take a service cat out in public.
If you live in a state that does recognize service cats, realize that if you have to take public transportation where you will cross state lines (such as trains, busses and airplanes), your service cat will be treated as a pet. Some common carriers will not accept cats. Others have fairly strict rules that you have to follow (such as limits on the number of pets being transported in the passenger cabin, size and construction of the carrier. If you are traveling across state lines, you will want to know if the state you are visiting recognizes cats as service animals. Again, if this is the case, your service animal will be treated as a pet and subject to rules governing pets. (For example, you might have to pay a surcharge to have your service cat in your hotel room if the hotel allows pets; you will not be able to bring your service cat into a restaurant or coffee shop even if the cat is crated , etc.)
All of this being said, if you are a service cat handler, it is your responsibility to check and understand your particular state’s laws, rules and regulations on this topic. This applies to traveling with a service cat–understand the applicable laws, rules and regulations in the states you plan on visiting.
Yes, cats can detect low blood sugar and alert. Not all cats are willing to provide this service. I sometimes have to take medication that impairs executive functioning. I don’t know how my cat does this. I do know that she gives me a good sniff (using her Jacobson’s organs). Siamese cats are known for being very smart and my cat is both smart, polite and very well behaved (she’s chats–she mews rather than meows).. When she becomes ‘velcro kitty’; that is wanting to be really close to me and refuses to play / go on patrol, I know that it’s best for me not to go out. So, when you adopt a cat, adopt him or her for companionship and the other standard forms of feline service (such as rodent control). Don’t expect that your cat will ever become a service animal.
My vet gives a small discount on her services to service animals, and that includes service cats. She’s a cats only vet and is more expensive than neighboring vets. That discount brings her fees in line with those of neighboring vets.
Right here is the right blog for anybody who wants to find out about this topic.
You understand so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa).
You definitely put a new spin on a topic that’s been written about for decades.
Wonderful stuff, just wonderful!
can cats be service animals.
Unfortunately, cats cannot be service animals. The ADA only recognizes service dogs. However, a cat can be an emotional support animal. ESAs don’t have the same rights as service animals, but they can live with their owners in housing with no-pets policies and travel in the cabin of a plane. You may find this article on how to qualify for an emotional support animal interesting https://www.servicedogcertifications.org/how-to-qualify-for-an-emotional-support-animal/.