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« A Champion Goes Down | Main | Markos Moulitsas ROVE » December 01, 2004
Hoarding Animals
Posted by Bill Drudge has a penchant for abortion issues, monster hurricanes and sensational quotes without context, but have you also noticed that he puts up a story like this about every few weeks? MIAMI -- Miami-Dade County animal control officers and homicide investigators are investigating the death of a woman found dead inside her home, surrounded by dozens of animals. The relative wealth of gross animal stories results from the fact that they reflect a consistent psychological condition labeled "animal hoarding," which has characteristics of delusion and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: According to Gini Barrett, director of the American Humane Association Western Regional Office (Tamaki, 1997), animal hoarders are well-known to animal care professionals. "Collectors exist in almost every community, large or small, rural or urban. They are in a state of denial that prevents them from seeing the filth or understanding their animals are sick, dying or dead. They need help," she said. The cliche of "the old cat lady" is around because it's a bona fide mental health trend. Interestingly, that article suggests that hoarders don't simply collect the animals because they're situationally lonely; most actually become isolated because of the behavior that causes them to collect the animals and shun people in the first place. My brother's a cop, and he picked up and committed an old lady with dozens of dying cats and rabbits earlier this year. The smell was so bad that officers got sick by merely opening the door - every surface in the house was covered in feces and urine. I'm not sure why these events make the local news, or why Drudge loves linking them so much, but they're actually a pretty common occurrence. Posted by Bill at December 1, 2004 11:15 AM | TrackBack (8) CommentsThat relates to a recurring theme of comedian Tim Bedore ( www.vaguebuttrue.com ) : there is an animal conspiracy to dislodge us from the top of the food chain. By clustering themselves in large numbers around recluses, then killing them, cats gain the opportunity to plan the next step of the rebellion, so to speak, undisturbed. I think Drudge provides a public service by keeping us abreast of the Cat Brigades' activities. If there's a significant uptick in this kind of attack, the cats may be ready to make their move... Posted by: Chris of Dangerous Logic Speaking of mental illness ... Posted by: Bill from INDC /mockwhinemode I came here to read about politics and Dan Rather and moonbats and now all you talk about is crazy old ladies! WHY DON'T YOU GIVE ME EVERYTHING I WANT?!?! /mockmodeoff I'll be shocked if you haven't already gotten at least 3-4 emails like that, heh. Posted by: Elric The oddest example was from last year (or the year before) -- a woman who had around 70 chihuahuas. The little monsters had gone feral, making them unsuited for adoption. --|PW|-- Posted by: pennywit I didn't realize chihuahuas were ever suited for adoption . Posted by: Retread chihuahuas = very noisy piranhas with legs Posted by: max Interesting you should post this today. I think my husband and I just dodged a family bullet today with my mother, who has a hoarding problem that has become increasingly severe. So far this has involved things and not animals. I became alarmed when she started talking about adopting/fostering multiple high maintenance dogs from an animal shelter. Fortunately shelter rules and persons with common sense there, limited her to adoption of a single kitten, on condition of her signing a neutering contract. It did not seem outrageous for a retired woman living alone to have a single pet cat, and so far it seemed like it was working out to everyone's advantage, despite some misgivings of my own. Today a vet called MY home ( we'd been listed as an emergency contact), upset because my mother had brought the cat in to be spayed, after making several previous appointmentsto do so that she canceled, and left a message that she had changed her mind...that she wanted the cat to have kittens. ( "I just wanted three", she told my husband later today.) We told the vet to go ahead, and and had to go explain to my mother that she could not have an un-neutered cat. I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure my mother has had some insults to the brain affecting her ability to make decisions, or that leads to her forming strong emotional attachments to objects that she has no use for. Research into hoarding disorders has revealed some interesting distinctions from persons with OCD - it's increasingly thought to be a separate clinical entity. Compared to OCD patients, hoards tend to have reduced activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus. Posted by: SarahW Well, yeah, Bill, but I've been much better since the fifteen-minute clock ran out on Omarosa... Posted by: Chris of Dangerous Logic The complex of behaviors that lead to animal hoarding are complex and probably a manifestation of some deficits of ageing. John Updike wrote a short story, and I think an essay, based on his elderly mother's care of dozens of feral cats who lived in the nearby woods. Two things struck me about your post: 1. that only half of these people lived alone. It's remarkable that people living together fall into this folie a deux. 2. What is Drudge's disorder that he presents so many of these stories? I don't go to them anymore--it's predictable, voyeuristic, and sad. Wish he'd find some cheer out there on a more regular basis. He could have his own "Strengthen The Good" corner. Might make up for the karmic dark cloud on his site. Not that I don't use him myself. We don't have TV so it's handy to look up disasters..like if I forget to listen to the radio, San Francisco could fall into the sea and I'd be none the wiser...hmm. On second thought, I take that back. If SF were to crumble I'd be better off even from here. Posted by: dysphoria My favorite part was that the fleas in her home were thicker than cigarette smoke. Posted by: ja |
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