Animal hoarding
Animal hoarding is a complex behavioral issue characterized by an individual’s compulsive need to collect and care for a large number of animals, often resulting in severe neglect. These individuals typically do not recognize the suffering of their animals, which can lead to poor living conditions marked by filth, overcrowding, and lack of proper care. Commonly affected animals include cats, dogs, rabbits, and various other species, with an estimated 250,000 animals in the U.S. falling victim to hoarding each year.
Hoarders may have underlying mental health conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression, often exacerbated by traumatic experiences. They may struggle with decision-making and organization, making it difficult to provide adequate care. As a result, the animals often suffer from malnutrition, untreated medical conditions, and unsanitary living environments.
Animal hoarding not only harms the individuals and animals involved but can also negatively impact the surrounding community. Legal measures to address hoarding are challenging due to the mental health aspects of the behavior, and effective intervention often requires a combination of legal action and mental health support. If someone suspects animal hoarding, it is advisable to contact local authorities or mental health agencies for assistance.
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Animal hoarding
Animal hoarding is one of the most common forms of animal cruelty in communities throughout the United States. Individuals who hoard animals keep a large number of animals and are unable to provide them with minimum care. The animals kept by individuals with a hoarding disorder suffer terribly, often for many years, and may even die in the filthy conditions in which they live.
Individuals who hoard animals usually do not believe they are doing anything wrong and do not realize their animals are suffering. Often, these individuals have experienced a traumatic event or have an untreated psychiatric condition. They often isolate themselves and deceive others to keep their situation hidden. It is difficult to prosecute or stop animal hoarding because most individuals who engage in this behavior are not criminally inclined. Furthermore, once the animals are removed from their care, most individuals will begin hoarding animals once again, particularly if their hoarding disorder is not properly addressed with therapy or medication.
Background
Animal hoarding occurs when individuals house many animals for whom they cannot provide the most basic care. According to the ASPCA, about 250,000 animals per year in the United States are the victims of hoarding. Hoarded animals are often malnourished and do not receive veterinary care. Most are not spayed or neutered. Cats are the most commonly hoarded animal, followed by dogs. However, any animal species may be hoarded including rabbits, horses, reptiles, birds, and exotics.
It is important to understand that not everyone who keeps many animals has a hoarding disorder. The critical distinction is the inability of individuals with hoarding disorders to care for their animals properly. In hoarding situations, the animals and their owner physically suffer from the behavior, and they live in unsanitary conditions.
According to the ASPCA, individuals who hoard animals usually:
- keep many animals and are unaware of the total number of animals they possess;
- live in a deteriorated home with extreme clutter and filth;
- live in a home with a strong smell of ammonia and floors that are covered in dried feces;
- have animals that are emaciated, lethargic, and not socialized;
- have animals that are covered in fleas and ticks;
- stay isolated from the community;
- have poor hygiene and a neglected appearance;
- insist that their animals are happy and healthy even when they are clearly suffering.
Overview
The term animal hoarding refers to a compulsive need to collect animals to care for and love that results in unintentional neglect. Most individuals with a hoarding disorder who hoard animals have every intention of caring for their animals but quickly become overwhelmed. Their mental and physical state prohibits them from providing their animals with food and water, a clean shelter, and veterinary care. Individuals who hoard animals typically have trouble with organization and task completion. They cannot maintain their homes, which become messy, cluttered, and dirty. If asked to clean up waste on the floor of their home, an individual with a hoarding disorder may do this but only in a small area and then consider the task completed. These individuals also struggle to make decisions. If asked to relinquish some animals to shelters or other homes, they usually cannot decide which animals to give away. They may insist on keeping all the animals because they believe no one else will love them as much as they do.
Experts assert that animal hoarding results from a variety of causes. Like all compulsive disorders, hoarding animals is believed to have a genetic component, with individuals who hoard animals typically presenting with a family history of hoarding. Various mental health conditions also contribute to or are comorbid with hoarding disorders. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, attachment disorders, antisocial personality disorders, and borderline personality disorders are common in individuals who hoard animals.
Animal hoarding often begins after a person suffers a trauma, such as the death of a close loved one, a serious illness, or a debilitating accident. These individuals depend on their animals as a source of love and often refer to them as “babies.” They often neglect their own health because they spend all their time and money trying to care for their animals. They may suffer additional health problems from inhaling ammonia from urine, being bitten by fleas and ticks, and contracting animal-borne illnesses.
Animals who are hoarded endure terrible neglect. They are often severely malnourished because the owner cannot afford or remember to feed them all. Since they usually do not receive veterinary care, they may have untreated medical conditions, such as eye and respiratory infections, cancers, and open sores. Most hoarded animals are not spayed or neutered, which causes them to fight over territory. They often breed in the overcrowded conditions in which they live, and many die.
Animal hoarding also negatively affects the community. Often, individuals who hoard animals live in filthy homes contaminated with feces and urine to the point that the house is condemned. If a condemned property remains standing for months or even years without being torn down, it can decrease the property value of nearby homes. Additionally, if authorities remove fifty or one hundred animals from a home, the cost of providing veterinary care and shelter for so many animals can overwhelm or bankrupt local animal shelters and rescues.
Animal hoarding cases are difficult to prosecute because of the mental health component of the crime. Prosecution is also usually ineffective because once the sentence is carried out, the person begins hoarding again. It is better for a judge to require the individual to undergo counseling and prohibit them from owning more than one or two animals, provided they are spayed or neutered and their care is monitored.
Those who suspect that someone is hoarding animals should call the police department, animal control, an animal shelter, or a veterinarian to look into the situation. They should also call a mental health agency. If the individual is an older adult, an agency that cares for the aging may be of assistance. If the individual is a friend or family member, reassure the person that their animals will not be killed and will, instead, receive needed care. People can also help by volunteering their time to follow up with the individual and support their mental health journey. They can also help care for the animals that must be removed from the home. When inundated with animals from a hoarding situation, a shelter will appreciate help cleaning cages and socializing animals.
Bibliography
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"Animal Hoarding." American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/animal-hoarding. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
Compitus, Katherine. "Too Many Pets: The Dangers of 'Noah Syndrome.'" Psychology Today, 18 July 2023, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/zooeyia/202307/the-dangers-of-animal-hoarding. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
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d’Angelo, Danila, et al. “Human-Animal Relationship Dysfunction: A Case Study of Animal Hoarding in Italy.” Animals: An Open Access Journal from MDPI, vol. 10, no. 9, 2020, doi.org/10.3390/ani10091501. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
Lucchesi, Emilie. "The Many Health Risks of Animal Hoarding." Discover Magazine, 17 Mar. 2022, www.discovermagazine.com/mind/the-many-health-risks-of-animal-hoarding. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
Price, Michael. “Animal Hoarding Is Its Own Mental Disorder, Study Argues.” Science Magazine, 17 Sept. 2017, www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/09/animal-hoarding-its-own-mental-disorder-study-argues. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
Rodriguez, Carolyn I., et al. Hoarding Disorder: A Comprehensive Clinical Guide. American Psychiatric Association Publishing, 2023.