Do Emotional Support Cats Really Need a Vest

By: Kathryn Anderson Updated: October 30, 2024

cat wearing a vest sitting on a chair

What purpose does an emotional support cat vest serve? Aside from upping your feline’s cuteness factor?  Thousands of Americans benefit from having an ESA in their life. But, there are still a lot of people out there who don’t know and understand about ESAs and the role that they play in people’s lives. When you are out and about with your mental support kitty, wearing an emotional support cat vest will help people to understand that your particular feline is serving an important purpose.

Should Your Cat Wear an Emotional Support Cat Vest?

Is your furry feline friend a registered emotional support animal, or ESA for short? You might want to consider investing in an emotional support cat vest. Why? Mostly for the sake of practicality.

Emotional support cat vests are typically either red or orange, distinguishing them from “regular” kitties. They are easy to adjust and can combine with a harness and/or leash so that your kitty can go with you on your shopping trips.

Service Cat Vest, ESA Cat Vest? What is the Difference?

The main difference between support animals and service animals are the functions they perform. Emotional support animals help their owners improve their mental health, especially with cases of:

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Depression
  • Anxiety

On the other hand, service animals fulfill specific functions that need advanced training to achieve objectives that may vary depending on their owner’s needs. That is why cats aren’t typically service animals… They’re not easy to train! Yet, they are often seen fulfilling an excellent role as emotional support animals. And they look STUNNING in their cat vests!

Where to Get Your Cat Emotional Support Animal Vest?

At this point, you may be wondering where you can get the emotional support cat vest. You can find them at artisanal shops tailor-made to fit your cat’s size. You can also find emotional support cat vests at stores that cater to pets and service animals. The fun part is that they are available in different colors and materials!

Emotional Support Cats Looking Fly!!

There are various styles, colors, and presentations of emotional support cat vest available! Ready to go shopping for emotional support cat vests? We’ll tell you all you need to know!

Taking Your Kitten’s Measurements for an Emotional Support Cat Vest

There are different sizes of emotional support cat vests available. No matter its size, you should definitely be able to find one that will fit your cat. When making your purchase, choose one that will fit your cat well.

To do so, you get to play tailor for your kitty! It’s important to know your cat’s measurements so that you buy an emotional support cat vest or harness with the right fit. The best way to do this by measuring the girth of your cat’s chest. It may also be wise to measure the circumference of your kitty’s neck, just in case.

To do so, follow these steps:

  • Find the thickest part of your cat’s torso. Wrap some measuring tape around it to determine it’s largest circumference.
  • To measure your kitten’s neck do the same.

Choose the Right Fabric!

Choosing what fabric you would need for your emotional support cat vest is essential. You wouldn’t want leather or chain mail, would you? Emotional support cat vests are most enjoyed by both the kittens and their owners when made with comfortable, breathable, undyed cotton. This also works very well for cats that suffer from allergies.

Which Style Suits Your Fur Kid Best?

If you’re a sucker for fashion, the question of which style of emotional support cat vest would look best on your kitten is really important to you. We can’t tell you exactly what would look best. We can only advise that you should avoid anything that could cause your kitty to be uncomfortable or get an allergic reaction. Often time what causes allergic reactions in cats, aside from flea bites, is the dyes used to color the fabrics used to make cat vests.

If they don’t suffer from an allergic reaction from wearing them, we think you’ll like the way Mittens looks with its brand new emotional support cat vest on!

Is A Service Animal Vest the Same as Emotional Support Animal Certification?

Definitely not. They are two completely different things. As addressed before, service animals are generally trained to serve people with a physical disability. Simply wearing a service animal vest is not enough. The service dog or cat does need to undergo rigorous training to become a certifiable service animal.

That being said, getting an ESA letter for your kitten and equipping it with a cat vest facilitates and points out the vital function that your support animal fulfills in your life. Bear in mind that the emotional support animal certification is a legal document with implications and benefits that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

With the appropriate ESA paper work, your cat can travel in cabin with you on most airlines. Also, you can live together, even in residences that aren’t pet-friendly. There are several laws preventing discrimination against people with disabilities and ESA pets, whether they are wearing an emotional support cat vest or not.

Do I Need to Register My Cat as an Emotional Support Animal?

There’s no actual registration to have your cat or dog as a support animal, all that you have to do is get an ESA letter. A licensed counselor or therapist can issue you an ESA letter. This LMHP must be qualified to guarantee that your pet fulfills a mental health service in your life.

How Can I Get an Emotional Support Cat?

To get an emotional support cat (or any ESA, for that matter), the procedure is the same: LOVE. Go to your local shelter and welcome a cute, furry, ball into your life. Their pink little paws will fill your heart and home with love, helping you to see the brighter side of life!

If you feel that you could benefit from having an ESA, fill in Certapet’s quick, 5-minute pre-screening questionnaire. You never know… In quick time, you could have your very own ESA letter and be well on your way to owning your own special emotional support cat!!

author avatar
Kathryn Anderson
CertaPet's Senior Marketing Associate/pet care advocate who works to develop new content for purrfect pet owners everywhere. Also a lover of coffee, corgis, and corny cat puns.

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