Animal Hoarding

Some people hoard things but some people hoard animals. It probably starts off with one or two pets but then it progresses to having a house full of animals. It is a  much more serious problem than can be cured by normal clutter clearing. 

I knew one lady who started off with a couple of cats. Then she started feeding local strays and letting them come into her home. They would have kittens and over a period of time there were around thirty cats in her home. As you can imagine, the house was filthy, full of fleas and smelt really bad. When you have a couple of cats, you can have them neutered and treated every month for fleas. 

But that becomes impossible when you have thirty! It was a nightmare for her neighbors and she was impossible to reason with. In the end, the environmental department had to be called in and they took the cats away to the local cat sanctuary.

She had the same psychology as hoarders of 'things' in that she just kept adding to her 'hoard' until it took over her home and life. Maybe she had a life with few friends or family and the cats became her family and that is very sad.

Firstly, you have to look why they started hoarding animals and then work from that point. You have to realize they are emotionally attached to not only the animals, but likely everything in their home, even if you view it as rubbish. Try not to be judgmental, as the hoarder probably already feels bad about themselves. They know no one wants to come to their home because of the mess and the smell.

It may take weeks to find homes for the animals, and may require the help of professionals. Likely you will have to bargain. For example, you can start with one or a few animals. If there is clutter to be cleared too, then throw one thing away and they can keep one thing . Do not try and take animals from the home secretly as the hoarder will lose their trust in you and will probably just bring other things into their home. of your own. Here is a story of a hoarder with a good ending.