The psychology of animal hoarding

[Skyesrocket]

I read this ad on craigslist today and thought about this topic:

We moved to our farm 12 yrs ago with two fixed male cats. and over the years, we have had so many animals dropped off we are over run. we have even had somone put a dog on our enclosed back porch. and a rabbit put in a box on our door step. we have asked the APL and human society to help and they can't, they too are over flowing with animals. some of the cats we have had fixed, and would ask that you fix any you take. we just can't afford to fix them all.

Personally, I think the word hoarder is thrown around too casually to describe a person with a lot of animals. Many times they are people that have been used as drop off points for unwanted pets. People dump them and then walk off with a clear concious thinking they will be well cared for.
Did anyone have a "cat lady" in their neighborhood while growing up? People thought she was terrible for keeping that many cats. The same people took their unwanted kittens to her.
I'm not sure what point I'm trying to make here other than to say not everyone with too many animals has a true mental disorder. I haven't seen the show "hoarders" because we just use a tv antenna but it does sound like an interesting show. Do they help the people get out of an overwhelming situation?

 

[welsummerchicks]

We never have any animals dumped off at our place. Part of that, I think, is that no one can see our farm from the road. But another part of it, I think, is that our road is very high speed, it's actually dangerous to stop along this road. So I think dumpers pick other roads. Too, we're far enough out in the country that I think we aren't on the 'edge' of the city where the most animals get dumped.

The problem is that if you keep the animal, it becomes your responsibility.

If the 'dumpee' can't afford to care for the animal or doesn't have room for it, he winds up being the one to takes it to the vet to be put down.

If he keeps the animals, then HE winds up being charged with animal neglect unless he can fund and manage a private zoo full time!

Many vets will quietly put an animal down for 'dumpees' or help them find a rescue or home for them. If you keep them...it winds up being your problem, you getting charged with animal neglect, YOU paying the finds or serving jail time and having a record. Fiar? NO. But unless the law is that way, anyone who has starving animals can claim they were dumped off there yesterday - and as far as I know, that's how the law got that in the first place.

But many times, especially these days, ALL the rescues, foster homes and EVERYONE ELSE are full to capacity.

Re the issue of homeless people and pets, a good many charities and organizations now will provide them free vet care. One of the inner city vets stopped to admire my dog, and told me he has on occasion let homeless people clean his back office in return for some simple vet care for their animals.

For a while here, a former monk had a home he opened to the homeless who were willing to walk rescued dogs.

But of course these solutions only touch about a hundredth of the animals involved.

It's an ethical problem that I think many people over-romanticize or try to pretend it doesn't have problems. The problems of 'homeless homeless' animals are severe. These animals die of parvo and get hit by cars. Being a 'homeless homeless' dog isn't a good life. But i'm not willing to support taking these animals away from the homeless. I'd rather give them a hand.

 

[birdygal]

Quote:

Well said. It is all about them. They do not care for the animals, they are fulfilling some need they have, not the animals needs. Mentally off in some way. Some of you are saying it is because they love animals? The guy that horded his poop and urine loved it? Twisted.Tthere is a difference between someone that just takes on too much and figures out it needs to be dealt with and someone that hordes.

 

[Orchid]

Quote:
Yep I think we already discussed that it isn't a matter of money, at least in MHO. It's a matter of having more animals than you can properly care for. Can a single individual care for 50 cats giving them everything they need including clean litter boxes, health care, affection and other things they need to be healthy?

Oh, sorry. I was just responding to the last couple of posts.

I suppose if the single individual did not have to work outside the home, had an unlimited supply of kitty litter and food and a vet in the family, it would theoretically be possible - but highly unlikely.

ETA: Personally I find four cats to be a lot to care for, especially in the dead of winter when they refuse to go outside to do their business! Scoop scoop scoop, all day long...scoop scoop scoop while I sing this song...

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Yep I think we already discussed that it isn't a matter of money, at least in MHO. It's a matter of having more animals than you can properly care for. Can a single individual care for 50 cats giving them everything they need including clean litter boxes, health care, affection and other things they need to be healthy?

Oh, sorry. I was just responding to the last couple of posts.

I suppose if the single individual did not have to work outside the home, had an unlimited supply of kitty litter and food and a vet in the family, it would theoretically be possible - but highly unlikely.

ETA: Personally I find four cats to be a lot to care for, especially in the dead of winter when they refuse to go outside to do their business! Scoop scoop scoop, all day long...scoop scoop scoop while I sing this song...

Yeah I don't work outside the home and have some health issues. I have the two dogs, two cats and all the chickens - not to mention a betta fish that has a personality. It seems like there comes a time late in the evening when all of the critters want attention at the same time. There are days when that is overwhelming for me, trying to give each one their fair share of attention.
I wish all I had to do was scoop, scoop, scoop. My one cat KiKi insists on scooping every grain of litter in the box to the center after using the box. No matter how much litter I put in the pan she makes a mountain of it. I have to go in the bathroom after her and shake the pan to re-distribute the litter. So in this house it's... scoop, scoop, scoop, shake the pan. Scoop, scoop, scoop, shake the pan.

 

[ChickInDelight]

When in Culpeper, Virginia, where the animal shelter has been accused of cruelty in the past, I took a dog that had been dumped near our home. The little terrier, Cesear, as we called him, appeared to have mange. I suspect that is why he was dumped.

Not only could I not afford his treatment, I could not afford to treat my own dogs should they get it. Also, Cesear was an acting STAR with my kids, thus, canine jealously ensued.

I was very heart-broken to have to take such a wonderful pet to the shelter. The woman at the shelter practically called me a liar when I said the dog showed up at my house. Cesear appeared to have been dumped at a neaby house where a lady had inherited a couple of dogs that way. Furthermore, I inquired about adopting Cesear once he was non-infectious.

The point of this story is.... shelters don't always make it easy for people to leave pets there.

 

[ChickInDelight]

I think the line between Collector and Hoarder - of all things - not just animals is

Functional | Dysfunctional

In some of the cases, the animals recieved excellent care and the homes clean, but the hoarders were not functioning on a level to hold a job or maintain a loving human relationships.

 

[laseterlass]

My mother is a hoarder of everything. She is also a control freak. She was so worried about her kids being "brainwashed" she rarely allowed us to attend the classroom. She herself was the only child from two very wealthy families that indulged her every wish. When she became an adult and the families lost their fortunes reality smacked her in the face, but along came welfare and she proceeded to have 9 children. Another form of control for her, as my Grandmother was apalled by her behavior. My mother is highly intellegent and loves to get the best of others, she loves to shock and argue. She was never upset by the death of an animal or even the passing of my sister at 53 years due to cancer a few years ago. The look I remember on her face was never of sadness but of a look of confusion as to what had happened how had she lost her control. When I left home ay 16 I did not ask, I packed my bag and told her Good Luck. The same look, confusion at the lose of control.
Mother never cuddled us as children but we had every toy known to man and were thrown huge birthday parties for the other parents to see how great SHE WAS. You would think that there was something wrong mentally......She has been institutionalized twice in her life time. Both times due to her anti social behavior and both times after a week or 2 released with the diagnosis of Not mentally ill, not chemically inbalanced But MAD AS HELL. I spose at the injustice of not being able to control everything on the planet forever. So yet another version of why they hoard. I think every one of them has a different excuse. By the way. Not a single one of us 9 hoard. We do love animals and respect animals. Apparently someone brainwashed us.

 

[welsummerchicks]

There is an anger control disorder that your description recalls. It responds to medication, but not much else.

Some of what you describe, though, sounds more like a personality disorder - in other words a very rigid, fixed way of reacting to - everything - even if that way doesn't really seem to be working very well.

Doesn't sound like she'd be very interested in getting any treatment, though, so it's a moot point.

 

[laseterlass]

Quote:
The only thing the girls in the family have discovered is PMDD. Which might explain her need to be pregnant for 20 years. LOL. It was the only time that she was happy. It is pretty severe. Looking back I am very sympathetic to how she must have felt and what was driving her. She has mellowed since menopause actually mellowed during it. But no she has no interest in change.