More animal hoarding *sigh*

[kitten645]

Has anyone watched "Hoarders" on A&E? Most of those people have a compulsion. They actually believe they are helping the animals. Most have family living WITH them that don't see the bigger problem. It's difficult to watch the program but I think it gives an insight into the problem. It is heartbreaking to think these poor animals die at the hands of a human that "thinks" they are helping. It's a mental health issue for sure.
RIP little ones. You are in a far better place.

[Pam]

Has anyone watched "Hoarders" on A&E? Most of those people have a compulsion. They actually believe they are helping the animals. Most have family living WITH them that don't see the bigger problem. It's difficult to watch the program but I think it gives an insight into the problem. It is heartbreaking to think these poor animals die at the hands of a human that "thinks" they are helping. It's a mental health issue for sure.
RIP little ones. You are in a far better place.

You know I did catch that once and have seen hoarders on Oprah. With the gathering of "things" I have noticed that sometimes other people live in the home and the hoarder often become quite nasty if they are asked to let things go. It sort of makes you not feel sorry for them when you see them becoming angry at people who only want to help.

When I have seen hoarding cases on TV where it involved animals the hoarder usually lives alone. I really have to wonder if they don't have someone (relative/friends) that could step in and help but, just remembering the show that I saw on A&E, I imagine it is the same thing. They probably get angry. I guess the only thing that can be done is to call Animal Control.

From what I have taken away from these programs it is not curable. The people who do get help often go right out and accumulate more. I guess this was the case with this woman. I am wondering why they weren't keeping a closer eye on her.

[Medusa]

This case doesn't make sense. If a warrant was issued for her arrest in '05, how is that, 4 years later, she was still there in that house? Someone clearly was not doing their job. My heart goes out to the poor animals who were forced to live in those squalid conditions. She had a choice; they did not. IMO, animal hoarders are different from those who hoard "things". They begin w/good intentions and things go horribly wrong and they either don't know how to remedy the situation because it's gotten so out of control or they're too ashamed to ask for help. Either way it's the animals who always pay in the end.

[catmandu]

I have a sad feeling that if the hoarder is poor and has nothing that the authorities can claim for heping them, that they lose interest vey quickly.
I have heard of cases near me where a poor old fellow is left alone to die, while an ex steel worker with money and a pension got help right away as the Cit put claims in on his pension, and sold his house as well to finance his move to a nursing facility.
It all comes down to money.
We are praying that as many Cats can survive as possible , and Our Awesome Angel Army will Welcome and Greet the Rest!!!

[Lizzie]

One of my cats, little Maeve, came from the home of a hoarder. The woman left her home to the shelter where I volunteer and when they went out to it they found 90 mainly unsocialized cats living there. Most of them had to go in the feral enclosure and the shelter extended the outside area to accomodate such an influx of cats, but the majority of them couldn't adjust. They refused to come inside, wouldn't eat, and would be found dead day after day. Maeve is one of only about a dozen who survived.

She is the cat who will run to the door to greet me when I come home and she adores having special one-on-one cuddle times with me. She 's a very shy and sweet cat and I sometimes visualize how she must have survived in that house, fighting her way to food and without attention.

I'll never forget how I adopted her. One of the shelter workers had taken me into the socialization room of their feral area to look at a black cat she really wanted me to take. Maeve (then called Eeyore because the shelter had to name 90 cats all at once and used Disney characters) watched me the whole time I was in the room. Every time I looked around she was sitting quietly in the middle of the floor looking right up into my face. It didn't matter how much time I spent with the other cat (and I did adopt Belle also) or that I didn't pay any attention to her, she never stopped focusing on me. I know you have all experienced this also, that look on a cat's face and in their whole demeanor that says "you've got to choose me, I have to get out of here." Finally, I turned to her and said "You are coming with me" and she was on my lap and into my arms in seconds. I could barely get her to go down on the floor again so that I could get a carrier.