Hoarding

Too often, people think hoarders are well meaning. If only, the thinking goes, we 'help them out', they'll be able to manage. They'll stop taking in cats. They'll sterilise and manage the ones they can cope with.

The fact of the matter is, most hoarders relapse. According to Tuft's University, the rate of relapse is almost 100%. Most hoarders don't see an issue with what they are doing, thinking that they are 'rescuing' or 'saving' the cats. The sad fact of the matter is that all the good intentions in the world from the people wanting to help is not going to be enough to put an end to the animals' suffering. Most hoarders will just go out and get more cats. Of the few hoarders I met, none of them could stop - they were of the mindset that no one else cared for the cats as they did, nor could save them as they would. Never mind, the dead cats that would seem to suggest otherwise.

Here's a case that was just uncovered in the US in the last few days to show what one of these hoarders homes looks like. If you think the urine and feces drenched home is an exaggeration, Jolanda and I went into a house which had feces smeared all over the walls. It was horrifying.