What is this Animal Hoarding Palaver?
An animal hoarder can be misdiagnosed by the community as “someone who meant well but let the situation get out of hand.” Sadly, the reality can be a bit more, shall we say, complex. Hoarders live with a large number of animals in their homes, existing unhappily in filthy conditions and poor health.

My Aunty Doris has four baby possums, is she an animal hoarder?
An animal hoarder usually has more animals than one person can be reasonably expected to look after. We’re talking, like, between 20 and 200 animals. Hoarders often cannot afford to pay for desexing so their “collection” grows until the stench and noise attracts the attention of neighbors.

What’s Animal Hoarding about then?
Dr Viktoria Sundakov is a psychiatrist who’s involved in a survey of animal hoarders in NSW with Sydney South West Area Health Service and the RSPCA.
“No single diagnosis fully explains animal hoarding. This is why more research is required to better understand it,” she said. “The most difficult cases are those with personality disorders with attachment abnormalities.”

“The evidence to date from the US is that most animal hoarders are older women without family or children who may have had a disrupted or difficult childhood themselves and as adults have had difficulties building relationships. For them their animals provide a sense of self, identity and family. If these people do not want treatment, such as psychotherapy, then there is very little that can be done.

How easy is it to help an Animal Hoarder?
Not very! In the majority of case, the hoarder firmly believes that they’ve done nothing wrong and the animals wouldn’t be able to survive without them. They firmly believe that they “love” animals and are blind to the fact that they’re not caring for them responsibly.

So what’s being done about this problem?
Animal rescue organizations such as the RSPCA are calling on governments to recognize Animal Hoarding as a mental illness, and to let the public know about the problem.

Should I start persecuting old ladies?
Ermmm… no. If you’re concerned that there are animals living in distress in your neighbourhood, you should contact your local RSPCA and they’ll investigate. You’ll be doing the animals, as well as the person with the problem, a big favour in the long run.

The profile

• An animal hoarder is most often female, middle-aged to elderly and usually single.
• Any animal from cats to dogs to horses to pigeons to South African Gnu’s can be hoarded.
• It is common for a hoarder to have between 30 and 200 animals.
• In most cases, animal faeces and urine accumulates in living areas. (In about a quarter of cases this includes the hoarder’s bed.)
• Dead or sick animals are usually present and most hoarders deny their animals are suffering despite overwhelming evidence that they are.
• Hoarders are often intelligent and able to attract sympathy.
• They come from all sorts of backgrounds, including professionals such as nurses, psychologists and aged care workers.
• They are often secretive and socially isolated.
• They can be cunning and deceptive, will move house to avoid prosecution and are notorious for starting up again elsewhere.
• Even after conviction they do not stop unless psychiatric help is obtained.
• Animal hoarders have been found amongst the members of animal rescue groups and breed organisations. They claim to be caring for animals when secretly and in a state of denial, are really abusing them. Hoarders use these organisations to facilitate their practices.

Read more about Animal Hoarding: 1, 2 and 3.

(Photos courtesy of RSPCA Australia.)