The Hoarder
The majority of hoarding cases are reported by neighbours and social service agencies who are concerned with the health of the animals, the health of the hoarder, and the community’s health due to the often deplorable living conditions.
Hoarders look to excuses and justifications when confronted with their situation, of these the most common are:
- Denial
- Self-victimization
“The Link”
Hoarding is indicative of mental illness, emotional trauma, a lack of human connection, and can also be an indicator of domestic violence, elder abuse, and child maltreatment. Therefore, it is important for law enforcement to help hoarders to prevent any future abuse from occurring in the household to either pets or humans.
Source: nationallinkcoalition.org >
The Animals
A large majority of animal hoarding cases (80%) result in the animals being found dead or in poor condition. Animal hoarding is considered one of the greatest causes of animal suffering in the U.S. due to the number of injuries, sufferings, and death that occur and are left untreated over a long period of time.
The consequences of hoarding on animals include:
- Starvation
- Illness
- Disease
- Neglect of self and others
- Household Destruction
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Fear of humans
- Erratic, stereotypic behaviours
- Death
The following video demonstrates how the animals are caught from a hoarder’s house. Some important notes to address in this video: notice the behaviour of the cats that the team is finding in this house; they are extremely fearful and are very good at hiding. Also, notice the horrible condition of the house that these animals were left in.
Warning: the following video shows footage that can be considered disturbing to some. Discretion is advised.