Not All Cats are Good ESAs

Thirty-Three (the orange cat) & Fifty-Five (the brown tabby) cuddled together in a cat bed.

ESAs (or emotional support animals) are prescribed by a doctor if the doctor believes that owning an animal will improve your health (physically and especially mentally). For some people, it helps having to feed and care for someone else. For me, it helped when I had little local support where I was living during a major depressive episode. Unlike service animals, ESAs do not require any special training or certification. They are often just a regular animal, and you can have whatever breed and species of animal that would help you. ESAs also get to live with you fee-free and they can be a reasonable accommodation in a place where animals are usually not allowed to stay.

I was first prescribed an ESA in the fall of 2020. Just 2 days before Halloween in 2020, I adopted my hefty boy Thirty-Three (who was three years old at the time of adoption). Ever since his adoption, Thirty-Three has only brought me more peace and joy. Obviously there were some learning curves early on in our relationship. I learned that he didn't like to be carried and he got scared when people danced near him. I made sure to adjust his diet and spend more time with him when he started starving himself when I was gone and giving him food specially made for cats with his health issues. I learned that he was skittish but friendly. Overall, Thirty-Three has been the best cat I ever cared for. He isn't overly destructive or aggressive. He's pretty much perfect.

My partner says that having Thirty-Three has spoiled me, that I have forgotten about the true challenges of being a cat owner since Thirty-Three is a very well-behaved cat. I'm starting to believe he is right. I adopted Thirty-Three's sister, Fifty-Five in August of 2023. It's been about a year since I adopted her as a newborn kitten. And I must say, she is very difficult to care for.

I'm not sure if she'd be better off as a solo cat, as she seems friendly and playful with her brother most of the time She's just--- different. She has stomach problems, so I've tried to care for her like I did when her brother was sick. Keeping her away from her brother's food is damn near impossible. I have tried keeping them in separate rooms, but it feels unfair to isolate her. My partner even bought automatic feeders that open and close according to a chip in each cat's collar. She has broken into Thirty-Three's after one month with the feeders. She also vomits when she eats his food, and ignores her full food bowls. She spills water everywhere instead of dinking it. I've tried water bowls, weighted bowls, bowls with a mat underneath, fountain waters, what feels like everything.

Long story short, Fifty-Five has been adding stress to my life. She isn't as easy and calming as Thirty-Three. Instead, she requires more attention and training. She has worn out my creativity in problem-solving lately. Honestly, she isn't performing as great as an ESA as Thirty-Three has for me.

After another failure story and a sigh, my partner asked if I should surrender Fifty-Five as she has been difficult for me to care for with Thirty-Three. I didn't hesitate to shut the option down. Even if she's not a perfect ESA, she is still a good cat and I am still an owner who won't give up on her. As the thought sat with me, I wondered if she might be happier in a home where she is the only animal. Or maybe I just can't afford whatever will fix the problems she's having with food and water. Is she happy enough here with me?

She doesn't act depressed. She seems to behave like a normal 1-year-old. She has plenty of energy, cleans herself, eats and drinks, plays with toys... I don't understand why she is being such a challenge for feeding. At the end of my rope for reasons other than just my cats, I make an appointment and hope for the best. Perhaps there's a simple fix I'm missing that the vet can recommend. Until then, she is isolated in the computer room. Even if she's not a good ESA, she is still mine. I'll find a way to help her, even if it does stress me out.

#IDisappointMyDad #IDMD #post30 #10062024 #mentalhealth #anxiety #depression #cats #ESA