Are We All Hoarders???????

[chicken_china_mom]

Sometimes I do wonder if both my mother and I have hoarding tendencies. I'm embarrassed when people ask how many of a certain animal that I have because I don't WANT to have that many pets. Every time I realize that I am at or beyond my limit though, my mom complains that we can't get rid of an animal for whatever reason. It's frustrating. Her hoarding tendencies is with cats. Don't get me wrong, I like cats just fine, but they are not my animal of choice. I like dogs better. When we moved out here we had 7 cats. That is, for us, a manageable number. But then in the spring of last year my kids found a really sick kitten. And then they found another. And another. And another. And...Well, you get the picture. Then in December, no more car. So we are literally trapped in this small town with all these cats and no way to get them to any shelters. See, in our county there are no shelters. We'd have to drive one or two counties over to find a shelter that would take the cats. Without a car, there is just no way to get them there. We can't get them fixed, we can't get anyone medically treated, and I'm about to rip my hair out. I'm to the point that once I get through school and can get myself out of some of the debt I have, and I can get my own place, the only cat I am keeping is my 9 yr old girl Pepper, and when Pepper dies, I don't want anymore cats. I just can't take it. Even my mom is feeling overwhelmed and she has agreed that cats have to go. One snuck out and got her stupid self pregnant too, so that will be MORE cats in another week or two. It makes me want to cry. The dogs, we have 6. I find 6 to be too much, and if it were up to me, 3 of them would be GONE. I'd keep my two chihuahuas and my mini doxie. Can't get rid of the doxie, he's my older DD's best friend and she has anxiety issues. She would suffer a nervous breakdown if I got rid of him. 3 I believe is a comfortable number. And with my chickens? Yeah, I have A LOT right now, but I'm selling a ton this weekend at chickenstock which will get them down to a more manageable number. I don't WANT to have so many that I feel overwhelmed. I feel a little overwhelmed now, but what bothers me the most is not having a car to get to the store to buy supplies. Once I have a car, or someone kind enough to take some of them to a shelter for me, I'll be downsizing. Hey, if anyone is interested in a young cat or kitten, let me know! Lol!

 

[Beekissed]

I think that feeling of being overwhelmed is a common factor of hoarders. I have a sis that is definitely a hoarder and manages to keep her animals fed but is seriously overwhelmed to the degree that she cannot leave her place for more than a few hours before she has to get back to the animals and manage whatever crisis that happened in her absence.

She has an excuse for every animal they have and it all sounds good but it all comes down to one thing, really. Can you give individual attention to each animal and still live a reasonable life? Or do you feel overwhelmed and stressed out all the time? Are you constantly complaining about how much it costs to feed your animals?

She will list all the things she has to do for all these animals on a daily basis and complain that she has no time and imply that her life is just too busy and involved to enjoy things normal people enjoy.

I always want to say, " Just STOP getting and breeding more animals!!!!! Its simple, really....just STOP it! Then you can enjoy your life and not feel like you are running pillar to post for a hoard of animals."

I don't consider it hoarding if most of your animals are food animals and you have adequate room and the resources to keep them.

I've often wondered how folks find time to spend individual time with that many pets? I can't imagine that they all get one on one time.

 

[Sierra pachie bars]

I saw that show. I think I do have alot of chickens, ducks etc. But I do have less then 30. And we did move so that I could have what I wanted animal wise.
I am down sizing and am raising some I will be selling. I only keep what I can care for.

 

[goatranch]

LOL!! I was wondering about myself, and am glad to see I'm not alone. I have unfortunately become a hatchaholic. I can't stop! I also have 9 goats, 3 dogs, 3 cats, 1 rabbit, a horse. If I hadn't gotten an incubator, I could control my number of chickens. I have tried to cull as I hatch, and am only selling to people who just want a few chickens and some fresh eggs for their family. I am convinced that chickens are a healthy addiction, and know most people on this site would agree...so I plan to keep on hatchin'

I have never seen an intervention episode that involved too many chickens!!!!! LOL!

 

[welsummerchicks]

Respectfully, I disagree. I don't think the TRUE hoarder feels overwhelmed at all. That is just being agreeable with officials that show up. As soon as the officials are gone they are back in their routine.

It's called 'la belle indifference' (the happy indifference). It's typical of many serious conditions that affect how people think and make decisions. They are usually very, very nice people, and normally would never do such a thing when they are not sick.

Dementias, alcohol, severe depression that is left untreated for years...these take a toll on how the brain works and how people behave and make decisions. Most people, what they call 'depression' is a down mood that may last for a day or a week, or normal grieving. Real big time depression is a crushing, debilitating disease that lasts for years. It DOES affect how people make decisions and plan and it can have HUGE effects on a person's ability to care for animals AND themselves.

And today, more and more people are going without help - untreated, undiagnosed, many of them after decades of disease. I've met people who have had schizophrenia for years and weren't diagnosed with it til they were in their fifties! Our country's health care, our mental health care in particular, is unbelievably broken, and hoarders are only one among the many tragic results.

I feel hoarders are handled very badly. They should not be dealt with by animal control, except to remove their animals. I don't think charging them with crimes is effective either. Animal control is needed, criminal charges are needed, but it can't end there. These people need treatment.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Quote:
Bee - most true hoarders just keep adding cats - and having their own breed prolifically - if you watch some of the older animal cops episodes from Animal Planet - there are many where in NewYork area - they go into houses, and there are DOZENS of cats all over the place, in the walls, in the ceiling, under furniture, in furniture, etc...and when they think they're done - they aren't. These cats are mostly wild, and have never seen a person other than the hoarder. - some of these places there are no cat boxes, there is poop on EVERYTHING. - it reaks on ammonia, burns the nose and eyes of the rescuers. - refuse, trash, junk all over the house, usually animal hoarders are pack rats as well (atleast it is a common thing) . These animal are not social by any means and most are doomed to be put down because they are ill, diseased, or just too feral to try to rehabilitate and rehome. Its a horrible fate for these animals.

If your sis is like this - have you asked her why can't try to rehome some of them - to make it more managable? If she is complaining about not having a life? That atleast sounds to me that she isn't too far gone. If not rehome - then get them fixed? If she's able to feed and medicate the animals and keep her house clean with them she isn't too far into the hoarding mentality...but I would suggest some kind of intervention with her before it gets that bad.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Quote:
Can you try to locate phone numbers for rescues or animal control? PLEASE try to call around - someone should be willing to help you out. Tell them you have no transportation, and you are over whelmed with animals you can not care for - and that you can not pay a pick up fee (the shelter here charges a pick up fee for animals from a home - if surrendered) - and see if someone can help you out? Its no life for you, your children, or those animals to keep them - as you seem to well know.


Also in the future if your kids find kittens - take them immediately to the shelter instead of bringing them home - I know its hard but you have to think of it as whats best for your family and the kitten - if you can't care for it and socialize it appropriately and your overwhelmed with worrying about the animals - then its no place for another animal to come into.

Good luck and take care.

 

[Chickenmaven]

I agree with Scared (above). If you have internet and/or a phone, you have access to help.

 

[Goose and Fig]

At times I may appear to be a hoarder- like NOW! I have a ton of birds up for sale though, so it should get back to normal soon.

I do worry about it though- and am constantly explaining to people- "Oh I'm selling these......really!"

My son just got paid to clean out one of the mansions sold by an older man. 8 bedroom house and you could barely walk through it- but it wasn't like "garbage" or unsanitary- just lots of stuff.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Quote:
Happy - I helped my mom's friend clean out his dad's house ( practically a mansion as well ) his dad had a 'care taker'/'girlfriend' who over took the place and between the two they were hoarders- a couple dozen pygmy goats over ran the once beautiful gardens, a dozen + peacocks made their nests on the 2nd story balcony and roosted on the roof, cats and small dogs over ran the house (I think it was something like 20 all together) - junk all over the place (expensive but still junk), money was literally littered in places on the floor, the floors on the top floor (3rd floor) were covered in poo and pee from the dogs and cats who were confined to the top floor. It was GROSS. - it took NEARLY TWO MONTHS I TELL YOU to just pull stuff out of this house, one of those huge commercial garbage containers was filled and dumped THREE TIMES full of stuff, and it was a month of 6 hr days to clean this house out. this didn't even include messing with the floors beyond ripping up carpets. I still have issues with smelling my cat box after smelling that house for 2 months (even with masks and noxema (sp) under my nose) OMG I obsessively clean my 3 cats' 2 liter boxes EVERY DAY - scoop it then dump and refill ever 5-7 days even if it doesn't really need it - I just UGH.

After being inside someone's house like that on cleanup crew for nearly two months - and hearing this woman who didn't even own the house make excuses and say 'oh its fine its fine - why are you throwing that away!?' and i mean the carpets on the 3rd floor were MATTED with feces and urine - you couldn't even be up on that floor for long - we had all the windows open 24/7 - fans going air purifiers everything to try and make it more managable to work in. but it was STILL HORRIBLE. Furniture, cabinets, etc had pee and poo on or in them. it was the MOST GROSS THING I had EVER EVER EVER seen.

The lady - she attacked the deceased's son (my mom's friend - who is 45 woman is like 60) and was arrested for assault and tresspassing. It was horrible - I mean I felt sorry for the lady but she needed some serious help to think living in poo and pee and filth was acceptable. X_x