by: Meagan Farley
At the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society, many of the cats that are victims of hoarding are kept in the “sick room."
“We have definitely seen a sharp increase in hoarding cases,” said Executive Director Brad Shear. Last year alone, the shelter saw eight cases.
“It may not sound like much, but every other month these cases can involve 100 or 150 animals at a time. When we get that number of animals in a day it is just overwhelming,” he said.
With animal hoarding only now getting the type of attention it is, it is only now that more of the mental health community is starting to deeply study what causes the hoarders to do what they do.
Dr. Rudy Nydegger says the problem is the fact that the hoarder never looks for help because they don’t think what they’re doing is wrong.
“They think they are doing a good thing. To see it as something they should be punished for just doesn’t make sense to them,” he said.
Albany County District Attorney David Soares says his office has a Special Victims Unit. Animal abuse cases are part of it. Instead of throwing the book at hoarders, most are ordered to three years of probation to make sure they are no longer collecting the animals..." More
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