Understanding Animal Hoarding : Animal Hoarding : Animal Planet

How Hoarding Affects Animals

By Laurie L. Dove

When you think of an animal hoarder, does the proverbial "cat lady" come to mind? The image of someone who has amassed dozens of felines within the confines of a small apartment is reality, but it's not the only game in town. There's also the man down the street who has a dozen dogs or the young woman across town who thinks 50 ferrets are her surrogate children. In fact, hoarding is a widespread problem affecting as many as 250,000 U.S. animals annually.

Typically, animal hoarders don't recognize they're giving their animals substandard care and have trouble letting go of a single pet -- even if the animals number in the dozens (as many as 800 pets have been seized from a single home). An animal hoarder truly believes he or she is caring for his or her animals in the best way possible, when in fact quite the opposite is taking place. It's this disconnect that's a hallmark of animal hoarding. In fact, animal hoarders aren't defined by the sheer number of animals they collect, but by their inability to properly care for the animals.

Hoarded animals, which run the gamut from cats and dogs to chickens and venomous snakes, suffer from unsanitary living conditions. Often, they are sick, dying and poorly socialized. Once rescued, all this accumulated stress makes them difficult to rehabilitate. The physical healing process can take months, and the socialization process can take even longer. To recover, these animals require the help of people with special training.

Next: Too Much of a Good Thing

CONTENT

Animal Hoarding

Understanding Animal Hoarding

How Hoarding Affects Animals

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