Animal Hoarding

Here is an interesting article on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_hoarder

What do you think of it?

Interesting article.  I agree that if you have more animals  than you can properly take care of, you're most likely hoarding. And it is a mental illness, so even when the animals are removed I'm sure those people are back to hoarding again within a few months.

Joyce

Interesting article, Billy.   

I do recognize that hoarding is a mental disorder, but I can't grasp what brings this behavior on. How does someone get themselves into a situation that they cannot control? 

The article discusses that, eventually, most hoarders cannot provide basic care for their animals.  I do wonder, what is the difinition of basic care?  To me basic care would include, vaccinations, heartworm & flea prevention, spay/neuter, proper nutrition, & training. 

 Am I wrong in my thinking?

I like this article as well:  http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/behind_closed_doors_the_horrors_of_animal_hoarding.html

Animal hoarding was mentioned on another thread. Instead of taking that thread off topic, I decided that I should start a new thread.

I have been thinking about animal hoarders more & more, due to a case that was recently on a local news channel, & I have questions about animal hoarding.

* How many animals does one have to have to be considered a “hoarder?” Is there a finite number, or is this determined by the quality of care the animals receive?

The number of animals is not the issue.  Note that farmers, kennel keepers, sanctuaries and shelters have lots of animals.  The issue is whether they are cared for in a husbandlike manner.

* What are personality traits of an animal hoarder?

Usually, they think that the animals could not live without them, but they fail to recognize deficiencies in care.  Sometimes, there are even dead or dying animals on the premises, but the hoarder seems not to notice.

* Do you know of a person who is on the brink of becoming an animal hoarder? If so, what steps should one take to try to stop this behavior?

If you are interested in the type of long term therapy that is required, Google on "Gail Steketee, Ph.D."  She's one of the foremost authorities on hoarding.  There's a consortium here trying to work with the issue - if I can remember to get back on after training tonight, I'll post.

I am interested to hear other people's thoughts on animal hoarding.

As someone who works with elders, and runs a pet program that helps them, I have been confronted with this several times.  It's sad, but there is a big difference between a pet owner who gets overwhelmed sometimes, due to temporary life circumstances, and a hoarder.  Hoarders don't often appear on Internet message boards, since statistically, the large proportion of them are in their later years, often females over age 70.

I don't know anything about mental disorders.  No comments from the peanut gallery on that one, please.  :)  I wonder though, do people with mental disorders generally recognize that they are whacko?  I used to work with a guy with OCD.  He did know he was a bit off.  Is that usually the case?

The awareness of difference varies.  In many cases, when the thought processes result in a distortion of reality (the dogs are well cared for despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary), the individual is not able to see the "dysfunction"  add therapy and medication that may change.  You can learn to monitor and be aware of your own mental illness.  It varies significantly with diagnosis as well as individual differences.  My assumption would be that most hoarders are unaware until someone steps in and the perception of reality is challenged.

mrv

The awareness of difference varies.  In many cases, when the thought processes result in a distortion of reality (the dogs are well cared for despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary), the individual is not able to see the "dysfunction"  add therapy and medication that may change.  You can learn to monitor and be aware of your own mental illness.  It varies significantly with diagnosis as well as individual differences.  My assumption would be that most hoarders are unaware until someone steps in and the perception of reality is challenged.

Yep! Part of the symptomology of many mental illnesses is that distortion of reality. "I'm not paranoid, everyone is really out to get me!" That sort of thing. As the old adage goes... knowing you have a problem is the first step to recovery. You should know that, Billy  

BEVOLASVEGAS

Animal hoarding was mentioned on another thread. Instead of taking that thread off topic, I decided that I should start a new thread.

I have been thinking about animal hoarders more & more, due to a case that was recently on a local news channel, & I have questions about animal hoarding.

* How many animals does one have to have to be considered a “hoarder?” Is there a finite number, or is this determined by the quality of care the animals receive?

* What are personality traits of an animal hoarder?

* Do you know of a person who is on the brink of becoming an animal hoarder? If so, what steps should one take to try to stop this behavior?

I am interested to hear other people's thoughts on animal hoarding.

1.  I don't believe in a set number, but when someone has so many animals that it affects the care given to the other animals, and that person still wants to add MORE animals, THAT is a hoarder.  I have three cats and one dog and I without major health or behavioral problems, I know I could manage, finance, and properly care for (as in, food, exercise, training, attention...) one more dog and maybe 1-2 more cats.  Other people can manage 6 or 7 dogs and even as many cats.  Some people have like 2 dogs but can't properly manage that many.  So, I think of it like "diminishing returns" in economics, plus the intent or will to add more animals.  It is defined by the quality of care, but I suppose when someone gets up in the multiple-dozens range, I can't possibly see how anyone could provide quality care to that many, there just aren't enough hours in the day (I'm not talking about rescues, breeding kennels, or shelters that hire staff to make sure everyone is trained and given attention)..

2.  In my experience, they are self-proclaimed animal lovers that generally DO mean well.  Some of them have a very abrasive, entitlement attitude like "well it's a free country and I can have 50 cats if I want to!" 

3.  Actually, I know of a rescue that I would say hoards and I've reported them to the police.  They are a cat rescue.  At the time I visited them, they had over 200 cats (counted their PetFinder and verified by going there) in their facility which is just a few rooms.  There was not one cat that looked healthy and well socialized.  Most were strays they trapped or had people bring in.  Most had URIs and/or were morbidly obese.  Some would run and hide in terror, others were fighting each other over food.  Most of the litter boxes had *** in them and there were some *** on the floor.  The group has half a dozen volunteers.  Sorry, but even if they worked full time, that many volunteers can not keep up with even just maintaining litter boxes for 220 cats, let alone all the health and behavioral problems they were dealing with.  We took home a cat with a URI and they gave us her antibiotics.  Turns out, she had a URI, UTI, bladder infection, and FIP.  She died two months later of FIP.  I found the ideas of the vet in charge to be rather strange.  She declaws ALL of the cats.  Our cat never really took to using a litter box, probably b/c she was trapped, thrust into a small room with 50 other cats, and had her front claws chopped off, poor baby!  They say they are doing good and saving cats, but honestly I think they are trapping and bringing in ferals that are better off speutered and released (which another local org does for free anyway).  I love cats and have done a little rescuing, but I have to say there were cats there that would never ever be adopted, and yet they keep taking in more....  I call that hoarding b/c they are neglecting the animals they already have but still wanting more.

Any animal hoarder has to start out some where, which means that they are not always old when they start, there are signs at younger age, and it progresses as they get older. Animal hoarders in most cases have other mental issues and are not very sociable, the attitude of everyone is out to get them is part of it. Another sign of it is when hoarders claim their way, and their home is the best place for the animals, and always making sure to point out the place the animal was rescued from is the most horrid place, and the hoarder absolutely can NOT let the animal go back......these folks are very good at covering up what is going on, until it blows out of proportion, and that is when authorities get involved.

mrv

The awareness of difference varies.  In many cases, when the thought processes result in a distortion of reality (the dogs are well cared for despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary), the individual is not able to see the "dysfunction"  add therapy and medication that may change.  You can learn to monitor and be aware of your own mental illness.  It varies significantly with diagnosis as well as individual differences.  My assumption would be that most hoarders are unaware until someone steps in and the perception of reality is challenged.

Unfortunately I've been around long enough to see a few hoarders 'develop' -- and it takes TIME.  This isn't something that occurs in a year or two -- SpiritDogs is absolutely right that this is something that tends to happen in more aged people.  Often they started out just doing 'rescue' -- and often there was more than one defining event that shaped things (another rescue 'went down' and they wound up with MANY animals all at once, or the loss of a job or loved one who 'helped' or even ill health that limits what they are physically able to do). 

The hoarders that *I* have known -- *sigh* -- had they been outside looking in at their OWN home/situation 1015 years prior they would have been angered to the point of being incoherent -- "HOW DARE THEY keep dogs chained like that -- don't they KNOW it will cause aggression!!!" -- but rather once they get 20 new 'rescues' at once (and the ARE convinced "no one else will do it";) they chain dogs outside simply as a 'temporary measure' that then somehow becomes permanent -- and eventually the chains get a little shorter and the proximity of the dogs gets closer and the care gets less and less.  In essence they have become masters as "getting along" making shortcuts where no one should EVER make shortcuts.

In short -- somewhere along the line they completely lost the ability (and desire) to say 'no'.  They may even come to, in a strange way, hate the very animals that they are trying to 'help'.

It's not the same as someone who unwisely takes on a couple of extra animals and is suddely faced with difficulty.

And USUALLY (not always, but usually) hoarders rarely, if ever, place animals.  They say they are 'trying' but it doesn't happen. 

BEVOLASVEGAS

Do you know of a person who is on the brink of becoming an animal hoarder? If so, what steps should one take to try to stop this behavior?

No, I don't know anyone is on the brink of becoming an animal hoarder.  If I did, I would talk to professionals in the area.  Mental illnesses should be dealt with by mental health professionals, not by amateurs.  Amateurs can make mistakes that make the individual reluctant to accept help from anyone.

I question whether anyone but a professional can even define "on the brink".  That means that the person has just reached the point where they can't take proper care of all of their animals.  At "the brink" the person either recognizes that there is a problem and deals with it or they don't.

A professional might make an educated guess, but even they can't be sure that the person will become a hoarder until there are at least some signs that the animals are not being properly cared for.  Even with some signs the professional has to determine if the person is actually a hoarder, someone temporarily under emotional stress (illness, death in the family, etc.), or someone who should be criminally prosecuted.

If a person is having significant trouble, it may take a little while for them to admit to themselves that they have taken on too much.  The hoarder often never reaches that point without professional help. 

Personally I don't have the training to determine whether a person is in temporary denial or permanent denial unless the animals have obviously not been cared for properly for a long time. 

If one thinks a person is a hoarder, then one must be very discreet.  If you are wrong, you don't want to be guilty of spreading unfounded rumors.  That is called slander.

How can we stop hoarding?  Do your best to keep friends and relatives from isolating themselves from the rest of society.  The problem with that is that this is a free country and one has to balance "concern" against the individual's right to privacy.  Too much "concern" can even wind up with things like trespass and stalking charges.

ottoluv

One thing that also struck me is that hoarders often think they have special communication with animals or are animal communicators.

However, one has to be very careful with this kind of logic.  Hoarders might be more likely to think that they are animal communicators.  That does not mean that folks who think that they are animal communicators are more likely to be hoarders. 

It could be true that 50% of hoarders think that they are animal communicators and also be true that 0.2% of people that think they are animal communicators are also hoarders.  Anyone know what percentage of the U.S. population thinks that they are animal communicators?  Are there any studies showing how many of those folks are hoarders?

My guess is that we have a whole lot more people who think they are animal communicators than we have hoarders!

probe1957

I don't know anything about mental disorders.  No comments from the peanut gallery on that one, please.  :) 

Darn!  That would have been a fun peanut gallery.