How come kittens are so cute?

My mom's friend found a kitten in his house. My mom really wants to adopt this kitten for me to eventually adopt. My landlord doesn't currently accept pets. I was told I could get a service cat by my therapist. What kind of right does the landlord have though? Why should he accept pets when he said he didn't want me to get a pet?

Legally if you have a pet that is certified as a ESA ( emotional support animal) the animal should be accepted regardless of apartment policy , not always.. but usually.

Again , the cat would need to be a certified EMA and have the proper paperwork to be considered a service animal.

Most all baby animals are just totally cute and cuddly.

I would talk to the landlord and ask if you could pay a fee in advance for any damages done by a pet. If the landlord agrees make notes and take pictures of current state of the apartment/house (all tenants should do this at beginning a lease anyway).

I don't understand. You said he doesn'tt accept pets then you infer he does again which is it.

A few things about service animals:

A service animal is NOT a pet. They are a working animal.

Not any animal can be a service animal. They have to have been raised by a certified breeder/foster; go through intense training, be stringently tested, then certified.

The recipient of a service animal ALSO goes through intense training and stringent testing before they themselves are certified to own one

After a recipient has been certified he/she goes through a rigorous screening process to be matched with a suitable service animal - you do NOT get to choose the animal

Following placement of an animal, one must adhere to a strict code of conduct and care of the animal AND agree to be checked/followed up on

Finally one does not simply get a service animal. They must be recommended by their doctor or care provider and be certified that such an animal is NECESSARY to function in their daily living.

You and this cat clearly do not meet these criteria.

I don't know what the situation is anywhere else, but in California any pet can be deemed a 'service animal'. For example, I have a letter from my p-doc stating that my pet is a service animal, that her companionship is necessary to my treatment plan. All I had to do was ask my p-doc for the letter. The benefit of the letter was to keep me from having to pay a pet deposit of $250.

Just remember, Angelwings...kittens don't stay kittens for long! They quickly turn into cats. And of course they require 24/7 care, patience, and so on. And eventually...rather quickly...your 'kitten' is an elderly cat that might pee or poop on your stuff...elderly cats often require special care, and a lot of it.

I thought you had a cat that was peeing on the floor?

My apologies for assuming all jurisdictions had similar practices regarding service animals. I have serveral friends that have been matched with animals for their disabilities (including ptsd dogs/calming animals, hearing assistance dogs, etc). I also have a friend that fosters/trains animals for those on the autistic spectrum. In all cases the procedure was as I described. Apparenlty it is more stringently controled here.

But my biggest concern is your abillity to care for an animal. It strikes me that you aren't in a position to be responsible for one. Yes, as said above, an adult cat comes with more reponsibilities than a kitten - the least of which is ensuring it is spade or neutered. Some cats need to be trained to use a litter box. While cats are loving pets, they take work to be kept as such.

I am responsible and would take care of the cat.

Therapy cats are used in therapy, like in a nursing home or a therapist's office. You're talking about an emotional support animal. No landlord can disallow them. You would need a letter from your psychiatrist. From the NSAR website:

Documentation Required For Emotional Support Animals
The one requirement for a person to legally qualify for an emotional support animal (ESA) is that the person has a letter from a licensed mental health professional (therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist -NOT the family doctor) on his/her letterhead that states the person is under his/her care, is emotionally or psychiatrically disabled, and prescribes for the person an emotional support animal. Without this letter, if the person presents an animal as an ESA, he/she is in violation of federal law; an offense punishable by fine and imprisonment, if convicted.

I know that I could get a letter stating I am in need of an emotional support animal, but what if the landlord doesn't want me to have pets? Would that be fair to the landlord?

Guess it depends on whether you're friends with the landlord.

Well here your landlord would be bound to accepting a certified assistance animal.

(I still can't wrap my head around that a pet can be certified as a service animal without extensive training and testing)

ract, I believe the term used here is 'companion animal'. A pet can be deemed a 'companion animal necessary to therapeutic treatment.'

j_m, I apologize- I thought this post was by Angelwings.

The cat itself isn't certified for anything. The therapists only has to certify that the cat's presence is beneficial to the patient. It's a whole different thing from a service animal.

Yes ^^^ Tauren, you described it well. Thanks.

You'd have to check with the landlord, and maybe make some concessions (no outside/ bathroom for example?)

ESAs are not covered under the ADA --yet-- though there are airlines that allow them IF they can fit in a carrier under the seat...but they don't have to allow them.

A letter from your doctor should be enough to get the ball rolling. You need to be able to explain a little bit as to why the cat helps you...but not too much. Even for service dogs the ADA only allows 2 questions (is that a service dog, and, can you name (3) things that the dog does for you that you can't do for yourself)... but for ESAs they can ask away (doesn't mean you need to disclose, but you might not get allowances if you don't.)

Being nice is key. Are there any renters who have service dogs? That might let landlord lean in your favor.

FYI The ADA came out and made a new "ruling"... that ONLY dogs can be service animals covered under the ADA. Yes, there are other animals that some are allowing (maybe due only to ignorance of the newest ADA notice?)---this conversation was in another thread though.

ALSO FYI there is NO national "certification" whatsoever of service animals nor ESAs. (Don't get ripped off by some online group selling you anything along those lines!) There are guidelines IF someone wishes to have their dog trained for service animal work, and some States have designators that can be used if the owner wishes (such as FL has the international orange leash/collar designated for hearing ear guide dogs) ..

May you get what you truly need.

Ok but I want to make sure I have this clear and it's clear to everyone

An ESA is completely different then a service animal. If I am not mistaken rcat is right a service animal is trained and is marched up to a person.

I can get a service animal to help me with a lot of stuff but they are expensive.

An ESA animal can be just about any type of animal and does not have to have any training.

I watched some of a PBS program yesterday in which two of the cuddly babies were -- kangaroos, and fruit bats. Their caretakers were in love with them...

There is a difference between a service animal such as a guide dog for the blind or a seizure dog which go thru intense training and accompany their humans with them everywhere, ( and are quite expensive, and require much effort to obtain) and an emotional support animal which can be any animal as is purely for emotional support and as such does not accompany their human in stores and such like a guide dog for a blind person (one example) would.

The requirements, and procedures for each is quite different.

My cat is a therapy or support animal as she is there for me to provide emotional support and help me when I start getting upset. She is not a working service animal which is a totally different category of animal that includes for example seeing eye dogs for the blind, seizure detection dogs, dogs used by autistic people. These dogs undergo intense training and must meet certain standards.