The Social Implications of Improved Animal Welfare 29to recognize the effects on animal welfare, human family members and
the surrounding environment (Patronek et al., 2006). This can be linked
to a human need to accumulate animals and control them, and most times
supersedes the needs of the animals or people involved. The need to accu-
mulate items has been described as ‘hoarding disorder’, a mental health
condition where an individual has persistent difficulty in discarding or
parting with possessions, alongside other defined signs (DSM-5, 2013).
Hoarding can affect the living environment and, in severe cases, put in-
dividuals and their kept animals at risk of fire, poor sanitation and other
health and welfare risks. Further clinical trials have been recommended
to ascertain whether animal hoarding is a special manifestation of the
‘hoarding disorder’ or whether it is instead linked to other mental health
problems (Mataix-Cols, 2014).
Table 2.1 is a summary of possible signs that might be identified in cases
of animal hoarding.
Animal hoarding is a One Welfare issue because it affects animal wel-
fare as well as the well-being of the hoarders, their families and the commu-
nity around them. It can also be associated with a number of neurological
and psychiatric conditions (Pertusa et al., 2010), which may also be con-
nected to elder abuse, child abuse and self-neglect, as well as costs to local
government and support organizations.
Three types of animal hoarder have been described (Table 2.2), with
some hoarding displaying signs of a combination of categories:
- The overwhelmed caregiver, who initially provides adequate care but
is then unable to cope; they generally understand that a problem has
gradually developed though they may minimize it. The cause may be so-
cial isolation or a change in their circumstances; in most cases they are
happy to accept assistance and support.
- The rescue hoarder, whose main intention is to save animals from eu-
thanasia at any expense; the cause is rooted in the belief that they are
Table 2.1. Animal hoarding disorder signs.
Persistent difficulty in parting from kept animals and possessions
Cluttered living spaces
Poor health and welfare of the hoarder and kept animals
Environmental nuisance such as accumulation of litter, bad smells or noise.
Excessive acquisition of animals (at times also items) that they are not able to care
for, do not need or for which no space or facilities are available
Limited insight into their difficulties and reluctant to seek help
Evidence of unlawful activities
Adapted from DSM-5 (2013) and Mataix-Cols (2014). Not all signs may be present
in each case.