The typical person in the United States today has at least a vague understanding that some people actually can be said to hoard animals. The derisive term “crazy cat lady” is heard with some regularity. And yes, cats are the animal most commonly the subject of hoarding. With that said, a serious discussion of the dangers and dilemmas of animal hoarding is necessary.
Clinical Definition of Animal Hoarding
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America provides a definition of animal hoarding that is useful for our discussion today:
The term animal hoarding refers to the compulsive need to collect and own animals for the sake of caring for them that results in accidental or unintentional neglect or abuse. Most animal hoarders fall victim to their good intentions and end up emotionally overwhelmed, socially isolated, and alienated from family and friends. The problem causes immense suffering for both animals and people. It also creates great expense for local animal shelters and may require regional and national efforts to find homes for large numbers of animals.
Three Identifiers of an Animal Hoarder
Mental health professionals have identified three identifiers associated with animal hoarding or with an animal hoarder. These are:
- A person keeps many animals or more than a typical number of companion animals at his or her home
- A person struggles to provide sanitary, safe conditions, proper nutrition, and veterinary care for animals kept at his or her home
- A person continues to accumulate more animals despite difficulty caring for animals already in his or her home
Both the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as well as the Hoarding of Animals Consortium at Tufts University utilize these identifiers when it comes to recognizing an individual as possibly being afflicted with animal hoarding disorder.
Animal Hoarding Statistics
You can better understand the nature and extent of animal hoarding by considering these alarming statistics.
- Every year 3,500 animal hoarders come to the attention of authorities.
- At least 250,000 animals are affected each year.
- Eighty percent of animal hoarders have diseased, dying, or dead animals on the premises.
- Seventy percent of animal hoarders who come to the attention of authorities are females who are single, widowed, or divorced (although community-sampling studies find an equal ratio of males to females).
- Up to 40 percent of object hoarders also hoard animals.
- Nearly 100 percent of hoarders relapse (start hoarding animals again) without treatment.
It is important to note that while 3,500 instances of animal hoarding come to the attention of authorities, far more people are thought to be involved in this type of hoarding behavior. People who hoard animals go to great lengths to attempt to keep their conduct out of public view.
Treatment Options for People Who Hoard Animals
Before considering treatment options for people who hoard animals, it is important to note that these individuals rarely seek professional assistance unless someone else who cares about them motivates them to do so. (The same typically is true for people who hoard objects as well.)
While removing hoarded animals from a hoarder’s residence is a necessary step for the sake of the person with hoarding disorder and the animals, that act alone is not enough. By that it is meant that removing animals does not solve the underlying hoarding disorder condition. In other words, a person who hoards animals is nearly always going to start the animal hoarding process all over again unless that individual has appropriate mental health treatment. Unless a hoarder participates in what is known as cognitive-behavioral treatment designed to address whatever leads to and maintains hoarding, they are likely to repeat the hoarding process over and then over yet again. Research shows that object hoarders can improve with the proper cognitive-behavioral treatment, and there’s every reason to believe that this is true for people who hoard animals.
Animal Hoarding Cleanup
When an individual who hoards animals does make the decision to make a change and seek professional help, that person will need more than therapeutic treatment. The reality is that an animal hoarder will also face the dilemma of getting his or her home back into order, back into a livable condition.
The best course of action to address the aftermath of animal hoarding in a person’s home is to engage the services of a skilled, experienced, and understanding animal hoarder property cleanup professional like Eco Bear. The professional crew at Eco Bear not only has the background necessary to effectively undertake animal hoarder property cleanup but has the much-needed equipment and other materials as well. With the assistance of Eco Bear, a person who faced the challenges associated with hoarding animals will once again have a safe, healthy, and clean place to call home as that individual moves onward with his or her life.