Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyjane  Since animal hoarding seems to be coming up a lot lately, I felt we should revisit this frustrating topic. I believe it has been posted before; but rather than look for an bump an old thread, I am starting this one. I hope this will bring about more compassion for those who suffer from such an illness. Very hard for us to understand...I get that....and it is easy to be angry with someone; but they need prayers, not vicious words and gossip. Someone recently made a comment that it would "never" happen to them. I can tell you that I have seen people cross that line into hoarding and it was insidious, not something planned. I knew one for years and it was extremely difficult for me to watch it happen and be one of the persons to report it. I truly believe it is a mental illness. People who suffer from any illness go through denial and most certainly mentally ill people suffer from it. To think that a person who once loved dogs or cats (or any other living animal) just suddenly decided to neglect them is not even logical.
Here is an informative link about animal hoarding: What is animal hoarding? Is it like hoarding lots of objects? Can people be cured? | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA
From the above link: When most people hear about animal hoarding, they recall shocking news stories or imagine “crazy cat lady.” They immediately side with the rescued animals, rarely considering the life of the hoarder or what led to this behavior.
The term "animal hoarding" refers to the compulsive need to collect and own animals for the sake of caring for them that results in accidental or unintentional neglect or abuse. Most hoarders of animals fall victim to their good intentions and end up emotionally overwhelmed, socially isolated, and ultimately alienated from family and friends. The problem causes immense suffering for both animals and people. It also creates great expense for local animal shelters and may require regional and national efforts to find homes for large numbers of animals.
|
The fact is, they don't know that it would never happen to them. Your post defines the term animal hoarding, but I think the reason people fall into this cycle can vary. Many think it is a form of mental illness, but I think there is plenty of evidence to show that many people who are animal hoarders found themselves in this situation as a result of suffering from some form of personal trauma be it physical abuse, emotional abuse, tremendous loss, etc. None of us know the cards we're yet to be dealt in life and how we'd respond to loss, trauma, abuse, etc. Unimaginable internal pain and suffering. Instead of getting professional help for themselves they feel they can somehow self help and turn their trauma into helping animals. People also say that you don't know until you've been there. While I am not an animal hoarder, and never have been, I can understand how someone can get into this cycle. I just understand.