Walmart is the biggest retailer in the United States, with almost 5,000 stores across the country. Like many other retail stores, Walmart has a pet policy that every shopper must follow in order to shop at one of their locations.
If you have a feline companion at home that you can’t leave alone or need to go shopping at Walmart for other reasons, our article is here to cover everything you need to know. Read to the end to get an answer to whether cats are allowed in Walmart. We will also answer whether cats with a valid emotional support animal letter are also subject to Walmart’s pet policies.
Are Cats Allowed in Walmart? Pet Policy of Walmart
Walmart has a straightforward pet policy – only service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, are allowed inside the stores. This means that dogs (and miniature horses) trained to assist an individual with a disability can accompany their handlers in Walmart. This also means that even if your cat is in an appropriate pet carrier, they can’t accompany you in the store.
Walmart is quite strict about enforcing its pet policies. Before you walk inside the store, you will immediately be notified about their pet policy via signs saying, “service animals welcome – no pets.” If you enter Walmart with a cat, whether inside a carrier or on a leash, you likely will be asked to leave or remove the cat to continue shopping.
Are Cats Allowed in Walmart if They Are Emotional Support Animals?
Emotional support cats aren’t the same as pet cats, as they have a different status. Are they allowed in Walmart? The answer is, unfortunately, no. The Americans with Disabilities Act only grants public access rights to service animals, not emotional support cats.
In fact, this applies to all types of emotional support animals, not just emotional support cats. Emotional support animals don’t have the same freedom of movement as service animals, as they don’t perform tasks related to their handlers’ disability.
However, emotional support animals have other rights, particularly when it comes to housing. They can live with their owners in a no-pet policy housing, for example.
What About Cats That Are Service Animals?
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, only dogs (and miniature horses in some cases) are accepted as service animals. Even if the cat is trained to perform a task related to the handler’s disability, they don’t fit the description of a service animal as per the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Therefore, cats can’t become service animals under legal terms, which ultimately means that they can’t accompany their owners in Walmart. However, it wasn’t always like this before – the law changed in 2011 to exclude all the other species and only qualify dogs and miniature horses as service animals.
Are Cats Allowed in Walmart? A Conclusion
Even though you can’t take your cat physically inside the store, it doesn’t mean you can’t shop at Walmart. There are other ways to shop at Walmart than simply going to a store with your cat.
Walmart offers online delivery, where you can shop online, add all the items you want to purchase to your cart, and get everything delivered to your doorstep. Although there is a delivery fee for it, which is usually $9.95, it is the most convenient way to shop at Walmart without ever having to visit the store in person, with or without a cat by your side.
Another way to shop at Walmart is by curbside pickup. Similar to shopping online for home delivery, you add items to your basket and pick them up at the Walmart store. You will simply add everything you want to buy to your cart, book a time slot, and check in at the designated pickup spot, and a Walmart associate will bring everything to your car.
Since you won’t be entering the store and waiting for an associate at the designated parking space, your cat can wait for you inside the car without both of you needing to enter the store.
With these options, you don’t ever need to worry about whether cats are allowed in Walmart or not. You can simply shop online and get everything delivered to your home, or use the curbside pickup service to get your items without entering the store.
