Thursday, May 26, 2011

Animal Hoarding

There are many kinds of addiction, and there are different forms addiction can take. While some people are addicted to drugs and alcohol, others are addicted to collecting animals.

Animal hoarding is a growing problem. The stories are so unbelievable that they almost always make the news. Most often, cats are the objects of hoarding, but animals of all different kinds have been found in houses and on properties across the country, being collected by people who are addicted to the act of bringing in more and more.

Becoming a Hoarder

People who hoard animals are not able to stop their behavior, just as a drug addict cannot stop doing drugs. It often starts with the person feeling sorry for unwanted animals and wanting to take them in and give them a home. One by one the animals are brought in and fed, and pretty soon the animals are too numerous to be taken care of properly. The hoarder will continue to bring in more animals, not seeing the danger of it or the problems it is causing. The person will become overwhelmed with all the animals, but will not do anything about it because they believe they are still helping, and because now it is an addiction.

The kind of unrealistic thinking of an animal hoarder is very much like that of a drug addict. Hoarding is a mental illness, and often needs to be treated professionally, just like drug addiction..." More

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