Apr
27

Animal Hoarder? Or Overwhelmed Animal Lover? What IS the Difference?

Dozens of cats have been removed from a home on Manor Road in midtown Toronto.

The OSPCA said when they arrived at the home, they discovered more than 50 cats roaming the house. The woman who owns the home has surrendered ownership of the animals.

The home was littered with urine and feces which David, who lives two doors down, could smell. “It’s becoming upsetting over the last little while and I think it’s too much. Especially when a lot of these people(in the neighbourhood) are pet owners, and myself being a dog owner, it’s upsetting when animals aren’t treated very well.” David told 680News.

Neighbours who knew the 63-year-old say it began when one of the cats was accidentally let out, and came back pregnant…the situation spiralled from there…

See the original news footage here: 50 Cats removed from Toronto home.

A case of an animal lover who became overwhelmed with the situation? Or is this woman an animal hoarder with a mental disorder? Where do we draw the line between animal lover, and animal hoarder? Perhaps in order to answer that question, we must first determine what it is that differentiates the two.

The above case outlines conditions that no animal should have to live in. Animals need a clean sanitary environment just as much as humans do. None of the animals were altered by the woman in whose house they were found, all were intact and breeding with each other. Animal lovers tend to spay or neuter their pets, both for their own peace of mind that they are not bringing more unwanted animals into the world, and also because they know their pets will be healthier for it.Therefore it would seem that this should be considered a case of animal hoarding.

That having been said, what really in your mind amounts to animal hoarding? Is a person an animal hoarder because their home contains more pets than the average person deems practical? Or does it go deeper than that, are there more factors to consider? Where exactly does pet ownership end and animal hoarding begin?

I, for example keep multiple pets in my home as you all know. Those pets are vetted regularly, fed properly, and our home is kept clean. I can not tell you how many emergency vet bills we have paid or how many times we have dropped everything and returned home because one of our animals needed us. Am I a hoarder? Many people shake their heads when they learn how many animals we share our home with, but those animals are well cared for. Therefore in my humble opinion we are not hoarders, we are animal lovers.

Therefore, the difference between animal hoarder and animal lover is simply one of animal care. Let me clarify, in my opinion, it doesn’t matter how many pets you keep as long as those pets are properly cared for and vetted. No one should be labeled a hoarder simply because they keep a larger amount of pets than is considered “normal.” That having been said I believe the woman in the aforementioned case IS an animal hoarder because she failed to properly care for the animals in question. What do YOU think?

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK!

Janette

April 27, 2011 // Posts by Viktor // 7 Comments //

7 Comments to “Animal Hoarder? Or Overwhelmed Animal Lover? What IS the Difference?”

April 27, 2011 at 10:09 am
Jean D says:

Indeed. Hoarding connotates an unhealthy state not a number.

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April 27, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Sara Jefferson says:

Thank you so much for bring this issue to our attention.

I’m a researcher for the series Confessions: Animal Hoarding, currently airing on Animal Planet that tells the stories of people overwhelmed by the number of pets they own. The problem is on the rise and affect communities across America.

If you are concerned about the health of animals in someone’s care and suspect they may be hoarding them, we might be able to help.

Most animal hoarders don’t see themselves as hoarders, and sometimes don’t intentionally collect animals. Their relationship with their animals has threatened their relationships with friends and family.

Most of these situations aren’t dealt with until they become criminal. This results in animals being euthanized by over-stressed shelters, and doesn’t address the underlying psychological issues – meaning nearly 100% of people end up in the same situation again.

We are dedicated to finding comprehensive long-term solutions and believe therapy to be key to this. We can bring in experts to help people and their pets.

If you or someone you know needs help because animals have overrun their life, visit http://www.animalhoardingproject.com to learn more and submit their story. Alternatively, contact me directly at help@animalhoardingproject.com or toll-free at
1 -877-698-7387.

We will treat all submissions with confidentiality and respect.

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April 27, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Diane Symons says:

This is a serious problem people think they are doing good and they are doing harm. To them selves and the animals. WE hit many homes and all the animals end up if not put down in foster’s it is terrible. Good post I have to share keep up the wonderful work. Hugs

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April 28, 2011 at 9:58 am
ani says:

50-60 cats were seized. THREE required medical attention. Tell me how many of these poor cats will lose their lives by the end of the week because the shelter is too full. Then tell me that this seizure was good for the welfare of these cats.

Again, we have lost sight of the value of LIFE for ALL beings. And therein lies the basis of this so-called behavior called “hoarding.” The belief that they will not be supported by the local SPCA is only enhanced by the many blunders committed by these institutions. That’s where the “therapy” needs to start — with our trusted institutions.

I believe there is another way to deal with situations like this.

Instead we still operate under the archaic canons of seize and humiliate. Who wins?

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April 28, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Lisa says:

First and foremost – animal lovers get their furbabies fixed, this is a number 1 priority.

While animal hoarders are most definately dealing with mental illness and living in the same conditions as their victims (though not caged as hoarder cats often are), the animals are suffering more than the people. Animals need to be fixed or they will breed uncontrollably and this makes an already bad situation much worse – and it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the numbers increasing exponentially. Providing food and medical care in expensive, and cleaning litterboxes a full-time job (as a catperson, animal rescuer / fostermom, I have first-hand experience with caring for large numbers of cats – 22 from a hoarder). This should have been investigated long before it got to this point. The hoarder may have had good intentions but that doesn’t help the feline victims, or the people having to clean up the figurative and literal mess of uncontrolled cat breeding etc.

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May 1, 2011 at 6:13 am
Louis Carabini says:

……Time and again we see on the news where the police responded to a residence with an unusually high number of animals. Animals do not receive appropriate care including nutrition and hygiene. That is what is known as a collector of animals..The hoarding of animals Research Consortium defines several criteria for animal hoarding.

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May 1, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Rosemary says:

With all of thes careing animal lovers for neighbors. not one tried to help before the problem became overwhelming? When my neighbors wouldn’t or couldn’t afford to pay for spaying İ took them to the vets myself befor they wound up pregnant or on the street.

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