Sunday October 18, 2009, 11:12 am
Thanks Lone Wolf. It seems that officials wont get involved to do anything until public opinion if forced on them and they have to do something. Their attitude is always if it doesn't directly affect me and my life why should I concern myself with it.

Sunday October 18, 2009, 1:14 pm
Wooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww...

Big gorilly Hgs

Sunday October 18, 2009, 3:24 pm
Whoops,, thats a bit too close for comfort-well i could clear up but it would disturb the spiders who catch the flies------

Sunday October 18, 2009, 6:39 pm
Thanks Terry

Sunday October 18, 2009, 10:34 pm
Noted! Thanks for the story. I have never been to a shelter but I have managed to raise 5 dogs, 5 cats, 1 rabbit,1 cockateil....Not all at the same time. 2 cats, 5 dogs and 1 rabbit are at the rainbow bridge. They just keep coming to me. By the way, they were all strays or throwaways. How can you turn them away? I just can't do that.

Monday October 19, 2009, 12:25 am
Thank you, Lone Wolf, for bringing this information to those on Care2 who may not be aware of this complicated situation known as hoarding. As stated in the article, hoarding is believed to be linked to some sort of mental disorder and it appears that these individuals are not intentionally trying to do the animals harm but rather care for them even though that seems the very opposite to us. I have seen several programs on hoarding on TV and there have been animal hoarding cases in the vicinity where I live.

Monday October 19, 2009, 12:42 am
Amazing story, thanks again Terry.xx

Monday October 19, 2009, 3:30 am
thanks terry

Monday October 19, 2009, 4:27 am
thats amazing abt the cats but ow can u turn them away the person that they turn 2 must b kind ors they wudnt av gone there thanx 4 ur reports terry xx

Monday October 19, 2009, 5:10 am
If a person who loves animals and wants to take care of them, it must be made clear that in so doing they may be harming the animals that they love as it is not possible to do without help. Our animal organizations should publicly address these people with offers of help and not comdemnation. I am sure that many people would donate food and money to someone who does this unless they are proven to be mentally ill, then the neighbors should report them and the animals should be taken away.

Monday October 19, 2009, 7:02 am
I think it is sad when people hoard. I don't believe they mean harm, but think they are helping until the numbers grow to where they are overwhelmed. But, by then the situation has developed into hoarding ,and so I suppose it is a sickness. You should stop taking them in, before you can no longer provide for the number of animals you have. Some don't know what their limits are and think it is ok, because they are helping, while actually doing harm.

Monday October 19, 2009, 11:50 am
Now come on folks these are mechanic cats who believe that many paws make light work either that or they have been listening to the old WW2 Glenn Miller number "Jeep Jockey" and are about to beat me daddy eight to the bar, that's if there in the mood or about to do a moonlight serenade. It's all very sad really as it's probable that none of these people who "hoard animals set out to harm them they just get overwhelmed with the sheer size of the problem and can't say no until the smell or noise reaches the neighbours! The mental problem fits into the equation in the not recognising when you have become or are becoming overwhelmed by the situation and not asking for help!

Monday October 19, 2009, 12:12 pm
My mom would adopt feral cats, but she would always get them fixed. You cannot just take them in or feed them without getting them fixed. The more you feed them, they will breed larger litters! There are low cost programs to get dogs and cats fixed, it doesn't work to just take them in without doing that first!

Monday October 19, 2009, 12:29 pm
How right you are Belinda but I would also extend that to feral humans!

Monday October 19, 2009, 10:15 pm
Ive been watching the TV show called Hoarders & it's so sad. Most of the time it almost takes an eviction before the person realises he/she has a problem.It's a Psychological problem these people help counselling b/c they can't do it alone.The 1st show I watched unsettled me so much that I went into my bedroom & threw my catalogs away I'm being honest here next was the famous junk drawer lol

Tuesday October 20, 2009, 12:23 am
I've been looking at similar programmes on UK tv addresing junk hording in the "Grime Busters" general hoarding and muckiness in the "Cleaning Ladies" animal hoarding in both of these and the animal welfare programmes and then the extensive art collections etc of the rich and famous! Is there some form of class distinction appearing in this field? OCD has been mentioned and the conditions that cause cleptomania have cited all manner of pre conditioning as a cause. Does this mean that the Queen is a kleptomaniac because of her enormous aquired wealth and huge collections of art, racehorses, and other items including palaces, houses, cars etc and the same goes for the American right wing with their wealth obsession. Can this label be given to the stamp colector or the collecter of memorabilia for example there are people who have whole rooms or even the whole of theri house devoted to Elvis or some other celebrity with every kind of object from calenders to plastic replicas and in the case of people like Elvis all their recorded songs etc, the collector/hoarder even wearing Elvis attire! At what point does collecting become hoarding and why when the stuff beit old cars or cats spills over to next door is this the first time the authorities do anything about it? Is this another case of mental health issues being forever on the back burner and only getting involved in crisis management as the odour literall gets up peoples noses! Now I must throw all that junk out before the tidy police arrive! Of course I have to admit to having many animals ,at one time eleven cats who shared seven litter booths and various other animals including nine rabbits, gerbils guinea pigs Russian hampsters and the odd dog and tortoses numerous fish etc, quickly adding, not all at the same time though and my current cat is happy in his splendid state of solo isolation as he takes over any part of the house he desires for his frequent catnaps! Watching these kind of programmes can make one flit from guilt to status anxiety awareness sydrome withdrawal complex and beyond! Sadly when it concerns animals their welfare should be paramount and the hoarder who has not done this out of ill intent should be helped with therapy not punished as though they had done some deliberate act of cruelty with malice aforethought like pouring petrol over an animal and setting it alight or similar such pre meditated courses of action which could have been stopped before completion!

Saturday October 24, 2009, 6:21 am
Guilty...we have too many cats... As of Wednesday, my husband and I now care for 15 cats after picking up a 2-month old kitten off the busy street. If the traffic didn't kill him, our cold winter would have. Our cats get the best care. Within the first hour the kitten, Tobey, was checked for fleas, given a bath, had his ears cleaned and on his way to his first vet appointment. Tobey was tested and is Feline Leukemia Aids negative and has had his first of 2 FeLV vaccinations in addition to his first of 3 Feline Distemper vaccinations and his first of 2 deworming for roundworms. Tobey has an appointment in 3 weeks for his 2nd series of shots to be followed by the 3rd series and neutering at age 5-months. In addition to veterinary care, all my cats eat Wellness Core cat food. They go through one $40.00 bag every 5-6 days!

All my cats were either abandoned or born on the streets. I considered taking the previous 5 to our local humane society only to learn that they already had too many cats and were waiving the adoption fees trying to find them homes before they are euthanized. I also learned that black cats are the least likely to be adopted; 3 of the 5 are black cats.

I no longer try to find them homes after hearing of horror stories of people taking pets for adoption only to feed them to their pet snake, etc. I have read too many horror stories via Care2 and other media. In our home I know they will get the love and care they deserve for life.

Our oldest cat, CJ, was found one cold October in the rain covered with 50 fleas; CJ is 9 years old and recently had her senior wellness exam and is in excellent health.

Yes, we are seniors. I retired 9 years ago and am now 60; my husband is 58 and has been on disability since 1998. The advantage is that we have the time necessary to take care of our family of pets. In addition to our indoor cats, we also have 2 Golden Retrievers, As indoor dogs we walk the dogs 4-6 times daily. It is during these walks that we find these abandoned kittens... In addition to dog walks, we spend a lot of time cleaning food bowls, sifting cat litter, combing for fleas, attending to each pet's individual needs both physical and emotional. In return, each gives us love and laughter.

My 3 children are adults with children of their own. I do not get to see my children or my grandchildren, but our family of pets fills that gap. Every one of our dogs and cats each have their own personality and particular quirks. My husband and I are very happy and so are Alex and Buddy (Goldens) and CJ, Kyra, Lucky, Abby, Kelly, Boots, Kayla, Punkin, Sasha, Johnny, Phoenix, Travis, Lucy, Rosie, and now Tobey. Oh, and then there is Molly the mouse. LOL