Pets are the best.
The following disjointed content about pets was inspired by a recent inquiry for an ESA (emotional support animal) letter, and the fact that my business is cat themed.
Yes, I can write an ESA letter! But we’ll get back to that.
Pets are the best, and science agrees. Here are a bunch of reasons why, in no particular order:
They love you unconditionally
You can sing to them and give them a million nicknames
They can give you a sense of purpose
They’re just too cute
That heartwarming feeling when they greet you at the door
They’re good for your heart and blood pressure
Pets help establish routines, which can be helpful for ADHD and comforting for autism
Having a precious pup to walk = regular exercise for you
Having a cat to walk is a whole other level of amazing
Side Quest Time!
This is Scout, my soulmate cat, who I lost in November 2024. I’m not sure if I’ll ever stop missing her, but that grief is outweighed by years of joy and love. One of my favorite things about Scout is that she liked to go for walks… on a leash… like a dog. Well, sorta like a dog. Walks with Scout tended to involve a lot of dilly dallying rather than exercise. She also liked to loiter in front of the shadiest houses and places with no trespassing signs. But the times when she was on the move, she looked majestic AF as she trotted along with her big floof tail blowing in the breeze. One of my favorite memories is when she booked it down to the main street in my town and walked right into a bar. She brought joy to quite a few people that day.
And that leads us to my final reason for why pets are the best… They help us connect to other humans. This is especially beneficial for people with social anxiety and neurodivergent folks who lack confidence in their social skills. Some examples:
Is it even possible for a dog to go on adventures without a stranger wanting to pet it?
Clothing and accessories with cats on them are a goldmine for giving and receiving compliments.
101 Dalmatians was released 65 years ago and they knew what’s up.
Social media has an endless supply of animal videos connecting humans all across the globe.
Personally, I like to secretly assign names to other people’s dogs, and I would argue that it counts as a mindfulness technique. Hear me out…
Bar and restaurant settings can be very overstimulating for me and tend to drain me fast. Despite that, the 5% of me that isn’t introverted occasionally likes to go to a local brewery when invited by friends. This particular brewery has a really great outdoor space that sometimes feels like a dog park with beer. Allowing myself to be slightly distracted by dogs helps ground me and tones down the volume on all of the overwhelming sensory input. It also helps to quiet the self-judgement that often surfaces when other people appear to socialize effortlessly. Making up secret names is entertaining and a good outlet for creativity (although I have a proclivity for food-related names). If your friends are into it, it’s also a great topic for conversation. It also feels slightly taboo, which can be exciting.
So yeah, pets are great, and there are countless other reasons why.
Emotional Support Animals
Now back to the ESA letter. What it is, is an official document that essentially prescribes your pet as necessary in rental situations. An emotional support pet is not the same as a service animal. Service animals have specific training and are allowed in all public spaces by law.
Who qualifies for an emotional support animal? Someone who meets the criteria set forth by the ADA, or Americans with Disabilities Act. As stated on their website, a person with a disability is someone who:
has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities,
has a history or record of such an impairment (such as cancer that is in remission), or
is perceived by others as having such an impairment (such as a person who has scars from a severe burn).
An ESA letter does not have to specify your diagnosis but must be written by a licensed mental health professional or doctor. I am happy to provide this service for no additional cost, provided we have an established therapeutic relationship and I feel comfortable attesting that you meet the criteria.
If you have any questions about ESA letters or just want to share something you love about your pet, please reach out :)
