According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), animal hording is one of the greatest causes of animal suffering in the United States, resulting in more injuries, suffering, and deaths to animals than intentional acts of cruelty perpetrated by animal abusers. This is significant since the actions of animal hoarders not only cause mass scale suffering, but cause animals to suffer for long periods of time. Seven thousand cases of animal hording are reported each year in the US alone.

What is hoarding?

According to the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC) at Tufts University, “Animal hoarding is not about animal sheltering, rescue, or sanctuary, and should not be confused with these legitimate efforts to help animals. It IS about satisfying a human need to accumulate animals and control them, and this need supercedes the needs of the animals involved. “

By definition, hoarding is the excessive collection and retention of things or animals until they interfere with day-to-day functions such as home, health, family, work and social life.

HARC, uses the following criteria to define animal hoarding:

1. More than the typical number of companion animals.
2. Inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in starvation, illness, and death.
3. Denial of the inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling.

Why do people hoard animals?

While studies confirm that the majority of animal hoarders are single women over the age of 60, contributing to the stereotype of the “crazy old cat lady,” hoarding is not restricted to any one age, gender, or socioeconomic group (Lockwood & Cassidy, 1988). In most cases, animal hoarders are found to be intelligent individuals, who are adept at manipulating animal adoption agencies and the legal system.  While the animals hoarded are not limited to domestic pets, studies reveal that women generally hoard cats, while men tend to hoard dogs.

Some studies indicate that a recurring theme in animal hoarders is situations of neglect or loss in their childhood.  While animal hording usually develops later in life, many hoarder’s say they began obsessively collecting inanimate objects as children. Animal hoarding often is symptomatic of a pattern of an unstable or chaotic childhood, where pets were the only constant and stable presence. Often, animal hoarders obsessively acquire animals in an attempt to fill a real or perceived void of human companionship in their lives. 

Most animal hoarders begin with the best intentions, either to rescue a stray animal or save the life of a shelter animal. Instead, they end up creating life-threatening conditions for their animals and health risks for their communities.  According to one study, 75% of animal hoarder’s homes were covered with garbage and feces, creating a public health risk. People living in the homes also are at risk of contracting animal related diseases, parasites, and respiratory problems from exposure to dangerously high levels of ammonia from urine concentrations.  Oftentimes the living conditions within the animal hoarder’s homes are so bad that the homes have had to be condemned after the problem has been discovered.  These conditions usually result from the fear that the hoarder has about having their pack of animals discovered and removed by outsiders.  They would rather go without basic necessities, such as running water, than allow repair people into their home.

Animal hoarders often feel that they are acting in an adopted parental role with respect to their animals and as “Good Samaritans” on behalf of the animals in their care.  Unfortunately, at some point their focus shifts from helping animals to acquiring more animals than they can properly care for.  As a result, hoarders neglect to provide their animals with needed medical care and often deprive their animals of basic necessities such as adequate food, clean water and shelter.  Hoarders feel that they are the only ones that can save animals that no one wants from being euthanized.  However, the opposite occurs.  Hoarders become so overwhelmed by the amount of animals they feel the need to save, they are blind to the fact that they are actually causing more pain and suffering to the animals than caring for them.

Many hoarders refuse to dispose of their dead animals as well, creating a public heath problem.  Sixty percent of hoarders have been found to be living with dead animals in their homes. Experts believe this may be caused by the hoarder’s failure to acknowledge that their actions and neglect contributed to the animal’s death.

The average number of live animals removed from a hoarder is 39, although some hoarders have been found with more than 100 animals in their possession.  In most instances, animals that are rescued from hoarders are in a poor state medically and have to be euthanized.  The hoarder, instead of becoming the savior that they perceived themselves to be, now ends up contributing to an increase in the number of animals that has to be euthanized.

Animal hoarding is not a new phenomenon.  Although not fully understood, hoarding is a fairly common problem.  As awareness about hoarding becomes more prevalent in our every day lives, the medical community is working  to shift society’s view of hoarding from a conscience “lifestyle” choice to an actual mental disorder possibly related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  Some experts believe the behavior of hoarders mimics the behavior of substance abusers. Some hoarders withdraw from the family and friends, while others are highly functioning in public, living a double life where they are adept at hiding their deplorable living conditions. Animal hoarding has yet to be officially recognized as a serious medical illness, therefore limiting the treatment options available and funding for studies on the condition.  Unfortunately, without any treatment, the rate of recidivism is almost 100%.  Just removing the animals from a hoarder’s possession does not stop the problem.  The majority revert back to accumulating animals within days.

Do you suspect animal hording in your neighborhood?

If you suspect an animal hoarder to be in your neighborhood, the best approach is to notify your local Animal Care Center or Mental Health Department.  Intervention needs to take a collaborative approach between animal service and mental health professionals with knowledge of hoarding.  The Department of Animal Services recommends that you do not take actions into you own hands.  Animal hoarders, as explained above, are emotionally attached to the animals they care for and your attempt to remove animals from the hoarder’s home could be construed as a threat to the animals first and to the hoarder second. 

In the City of Los Angeles, animal hoarding is considered to be a form of animal cruelty.  The Animal Cruelty Task Force (ACTF) was established to respond to this type of activity and other types of cruelty cases.  ACTF is a joint effort between officers from both the Department of Animal Services and the Los Angeles Police Department.  To date, the ACTF has been very successful.

To learn more about hoarding and animal hoarding, please visit the following websites:

References:

“From Helping to Hoarding to Hurting: When the Acts of “Good Samaritans” Become Felony Animal Cruelty,” Westlaw, (Cite as: 39 Val. U. L. Rev.815), 2005.

Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC)

Related Links:

“People Who Hoard Animals,” Psychiatric Times, April 2000, Vol. XVII, Issue 4.

“Hoarding Fact Sheet,”  The County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health, Older Adults Services Division. www.la4seniors.com.

“Behind Closed Doors: The Horrors of Animal Hoarding,” Humane Society of the United States. www.hsus.org.

“Animal Hoarding AKA Animal Collecting,”  Pet-Abuse.com.

Click here to learn more about the Animal Cruelty Task Force

Click here to find an Animal Care Center near you

Click here to find services offered by the County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health.