Mixed Race Queer POC Needs Assistance with ESA Cat

Hello, my name is Fern, born & raised in central West Virginia—which is not always the most welcoming place to someone who is multiracial, has chronic pain/health issues, multiple disabilities and is a lesbian. I’m attempting to raise funds for an emotional support animal.

As someone diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, Fibromyalgia, PTSD, Generalized Anxiety, Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder and several other chronic conditions it's easy to see why having an ESA animal would improve my quality of life even if someone doesn't really agree with the idea of emotional support animals. Many people find them rather decisive topic wise. There have actually been a lot of studies done specifically on children with autism and cats as companions. One study showing that a positive is how the felines interact and their way of expressing themselves works well with individuals (specifically children in this study) that have ASD.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00039/full

My eventual goal, however, is to get Emily certified as a therapy cat. This requires an animal who is exceptionally calm and has a certain kind of temperament. Sphynx cats are well known not only for high intelligence but a genuine affection for humans. The breed has an outgoing personality by default (generally). I've worked very closely with the breeder to make sure Emily has been well trained for handling and tolerant already. She even enjoys being bathed which is one of the ultimate tests for a cat's behavior.

Working with a senior center is my first step, but I am in the early stages of planning an outreach to help work with the local ASD community--of all ages, to do an animal companionship program and volunteer work. It's going to take a lot of time and effort, but through my work volunteering with Emily with the senior community and hopefully the library as well, I can raise awareness and support for these goals within the local community.

I formerly worked as a teacher and in academia focused on English 2nd language & Systemic Functional Linguistics. I’m aware of how vital communication needs can be for children and adults in both communities. For instance, I'm wanting to try to get an ASD focused reading to the Cat program for children.

As for myself, suffering from PTSD & anxiety on top of my chronic pain condition can make it difficult to leave the house some days. I’m sometimes nearly bed bound for multiple days at a time due to this. Finances have become extremely difficult due to trying to remove myself from a very complicated and unhealthy home situation.

So, thank you for the moment spent with me as I explained why I am asking for help. Any assistance is appreciated, but thank you very much for your time.

-Fern