Pet Hoarders - Controlling the Amount of Animals in a Home

In an effort to save homeless animals some people become inundated with them instead. They are what we call hoarders. I do Wildlife rescue and I foster cats and kittens. As part of an organization that rescues homeless animals we are always in need of foster homes. Many of the animals we get come from hoarder homes.

It seems some people , although well intentioned, find themselves drowning in animals. They bring in too many, cannot feed and care for them properl and end up in trouble. Recently ,in a neighboring town, over 100 cats and dogs were discovered in horrible conditions. Some dead, some alive. The home was a $2.4 million dollar mansion in an extremely upscale town but the owners had abandoned the home with the animal in them when they went into bankruptcy. Some of the animals were trapped in the walls. Feces was several inches high throughout the home. A delivery man noticed the stench. The house had been purchased on the auction block and under those conditions the purchaser couldn't examine the property until he had already purchased it. It is probably going to be condemned. The new buyer is out of luck.The animals that were rescued were placed in the local Shelter. Some have been adopted. Some were too sick to put up for adoption. They were emaciated, dehydrated, had upper respiratory ailments, tooth decay,deformities due to inbreeding and behavioral disorders. The owners have been charged witrh 20 counts of animal cruelty..

In many hoarding situations larger animals will prey on the smaller animals. Dogs become food aggressive and smaller, weaker dogs or whelping Moms are prey.

I have a neighbor nearby who has gotten in over her head. She's been taking in cats but not gettng themspayed. She is elderly and disabled. Our local organization has been trying to pry some of these cats away from her. One of the problems with hoarders is they usually don't want help. They are secretive and un cooperative. They feel no one else will treat their animals well. They don't license their animals because they'r afraid of having them taken away. This particular woman has put a hole in her garage door so the cats can going in and out. Even though I live on a very quiet street at least once a month one of her cats is dead in the road. The rest wander the neighborhood.

Another problem is the living conditions for the humans under these circumstances. It's dangerous and could be deadly. What starts as a haven for homeless animals becomes an unsanitary environment that only is discovered when conditions have gotten beyond extreme.

Intervention is important, prevention even more important. Hoarded animals need immediate attention as does the hoarder. Too much of a good thing is indeed too much.