Any concerns will be raised with the owner of the establishment or the individual and a notice of improvement may be served that is followed up after a reasonable period of time to ensure that the improvements have been carried out. If there is no improvement then animals will be removed from the premises and evidence gathered for potential prosecution if appropriate.
In all cases the welfare of the animals is paramount and the RSPCA will do everything in their power to assist the individuals to make improvements and avoid any legal consequences. Legally animals remain the property of the owner in the UK and consent is even required before neutering can take place. When animals are signed over, many are considered to be unsuitable for re-homing due to disease or lack of habituation to a normal domestic home. In these cases, euthanasia is often considered to be the only practical option.
If consent is given to neuter and return, the cats then this is generally carried out by people experienced with feral cats, as the equipment and type of handling required is often similar to that needed for feral colonies. These experts also have good contacts with vets accustomed to the treatment of feral cats. Many rescue establishments are understandably reluctant to remove cats from hoarders except in extreme cases of suffering as there is rarely, if ever, room in shelters to accommodate an influx of such large numbers on a single occasion.
As previously mentioned these cats are almost always difficult to re-home. There is sufficient argument to suggest that many should not be re-homed at all as this would undoubtedly cause unnecessary suffering to an individual deprived of early socialisation.
However, there are always instances where the cats may benefit from re-homing and go on to lead normal lives as pet cats. Unfortunately, there are no specific criteria that indicate suitability and each situation must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. All hoarding cases deteriorate and numbers increase with time so the earlier positive intervention takes place, the more likely the situation is to be resolved satisfactorily. More publicity and more research are also required into this problem to find a treatment protocol for animal hoarders that takes into consideration any mental health issues; ideally, there should be a protocol that can be utilised before these situations become so severe that court action is necessary.
Recidivism is seen to be a major problem so effective treatment of the hoarders themselves, practical advice and support is the only way forward to prevent further animal suffering.
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We use cookies to improve our website to make sure you have a better browsing experience. A dysfunctional childhood is correlated with a disordered attachment style. This can result in a controlling pattern of relationships, such as compulsive caregiving, as an adult. In this behavior pattern, a person selects someone with a sad or difficult life, and provides care obsessively, irrespective of whether the care is wanted or needed.
This kind of behavior often characterizes the caregiving style of animal hoarders. Other forms of control in hoarding include refusal to adopt, rejection of expert opinion about proper animal care, and sometimes the saving of dead bodies. Q: Why do some animal hoarders believe they are actually helping animals? A: Although they claim to be helping, animal hoarders accumulate large numbers of animals to their detriment. All too often, animal hoarders are unable to provide even minimal standards of care and lack the insight to understand that their actions often result in severe neglect, suffering and death.
This debilitating behavior can be devastating to families, put elders and children at risk, and incur significant cost to communities for cleanup or demolition. Animal hoarding crosses all socioeconomic boundaries, although statistically it is more frequent in older, isolated, socioeconomically disadvantaged women. Hoarders sometimes masquerade as legitimate animal sheltering, sanctuary, or rescue groups.
This definition comes from the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium, an independent group of academic researchers based in Massachusetts. The full definition and more info can be found at vet.
It is not clearly understood why people become animal hoarders. Early research pointed toward a variant of obsessive-compulsive disorders, but newer studies and theories lead toward:. Animal hoarders often appear intelligent and clearly believe they are helping their animals. In addition, many hoarders possess the ability to garner sympathy and to deceive others into thinking their situation is under control.
They often are blind to the fact that their animals are suffering under their care. Animal hoarders range in age, and can be men or women of any race or ethnic group.
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