Animal hoarding is animal abuse and a mental illness!

[NW Admin]

So many people are effected by the mental illness of animal hoarding. So much now that there are actual television shows/documentaries about it. A lot of people know about other people who hoard animals and do nothing about it. And some people think there is nothing wrong with it.

Animal hoarding is a proven mental illness. It is very serious and is usually just the biginning of much worse things to come if it is not stopped and managed. People who hoard animals need medical attention and counseling to control their urges to collect animals.

The problems with animal hoarding are that the collector usually becomes so overwhelmed with animals that they can no longer keep up with the hygiene and sanitation of the area where they are keeping the animals. In most cases, that area is their home they share with the animals. The home typically becomes filthy and unsanitary, covered in urine/feces, and infested with insects and bacteria.

The collector becomes financially unable to provide necessary medical attention. Instead of turning the pet over to someone who can care for it, they just let the animal suffer. The lack of finances also leads to a lack of food for the animals. So they end up starving to death. And because most animal hoarders also have a tendency to hoard trash and other items, these animals die... and their decaying bodies are just left in the filth within the home. Hoarders are known to have dead animal carcasses buried within the trash in their homes.

Many hoarders obtain so many animals that they can no longer provide adequate attention and socialization for the animals. So often times, these animals cannot be adopted out if they are seized because they are too feral. I have seen many cases where the hoarder keeps all the animals in numerous cages all throughout their home/property. The animals stay in those cages and rarely ever get out to play and live a normal life.

The conditions in the home of a hoarder can become horrendous. It becomes a health hazard for the hoarder, any humans living in the home, and any animals in the home. In addition, it is a hazard to the surrounding neighbors.

If you know or suspect someone is an animal hoarder, it is very important that you contact someone to check it out immediately. The people you should contact varies state to state. In some situations, it may be the health department, it might be the humane society, or the ASPCA, or the police. If there are children in the home, it is imperative that you take action. Not only will the children be susceptable to illness and injury, but also learning those bad habitual patterns of animal hoarding.

So please, take action whenever you can. The animals that can be saved will find new happy homes.