I recently attended an estate sale at a house that had belonged to a hoarder. 

I've been going to estate sales for years and have seen all manner of houses, but nothing could have prepared me for the chaos within this one. Boxes stuffed with papers, photographs, magazines, and old clothes were precariously stacked throughout the home, covering almost every single surface.

There were boxes on the beds, in the bathtubs, in the hallways, and on every piece of furniture. Many rooms had a small pathway amid the clutter, barely wide enough for one person to navigate. Frequently, someone would inadvertently send something crashing down. Some rooms were completely impassable.

Now imagine that those boxes were cages and crates stacked one on top of another, each containing a miserable, sick animal, and that the surfaces were covered not with clutter but with feces and urine. This is the reality when people hoard animals, often under the delusion that they're "saving" them—and the consequences are devastating.

PETA has investigated numerous animal-hoarding cases over the years and, time and again, has found animals warehoused in deplorable conditions. The investigators have seen cats kept in impossible-to-sanitize wooden sheds and dilapidated, moldy trailers that reeked of ammonia, their living areas strewn with vomit, trash, and waste. They've seen paralyzed animals forced to drag themselves around until they developed bloody ulcers. They've seen suffering animals deprived of veterinary care—including some plagued with seizures, diabetes, and wounds infected down to the bone. 

Hoarding "things" is bad enough. But when animals are involved, intervention is vital. A majority of animal-hoarding cases—at least 57 percent, according to one study—are brought to authorities' attention by concerned neighbors.

If you suspect that animals are being neglected or abused by their caretakers, even those who appear well intentioned, please be a "nosy neighbor" and alert authorities immediately. 

The situation was dire for more than 30 dogs and puppies languishing at the home of a hoarder in rural Georgia. Confined to cramped cages, chained, or simply running loose on the unfenced property, the dogs were filthy and crawling with fleas, and some were losing their hair because of untreated mange. Their owner couldn't even afford to feed them, so most of the dogs had no food. The water they had was dirty, and they were heartbreakingly emaciated. Because of limited resources, none of the dogs had been spayed or neutered either, so they were breeding uncontrollably, and the situation was only going to get worse.

After being alerted to the dogs' plight, PETA contacted PETA member and activist extraordinaire Anna J. Ware, who works closely with the Atlanta Humane Society (AHS). The AHS team leapt into action and departed the very next day, drove for six hours, and rescued every dog on the property.

Now, the happy pups are getting much-needed food, veterinary care, and socialization. And while they wait for the homes and families they deserve, they're being smothered with TLC.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

For many of the cats who were rescued from the dungeon-like Sacred Vision Animal Sanctuary (SVAS) facility in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, it may seem like a dream come true. Trading cramped, filthy cages for cuddling, the cats are settling into their comfy new forever homes after the Horry County Animal Care Center held successful cat adopt-a-thons over the last couple of weekends. Dozens of people attended the events at the special shelter set up for the cats. Adoption opportunities will continue through this week. 

Since being rescued from the hoarding facility last month following a PETA investigation, the cats have undergone veterinary treatment for illnesses including upper respiratory infections, conjunctivitis, gaping and infected wounds, and painful dental conditions. PETA has submitted extensive evidence to the Horry County Solicitor's Office based on its investigation and is urging the solicitor to file state-level cruelty-to-animals charges against SVAS owner and operator Elizabeth Owens. You can help! Please send a polite e-mail to Solicitor Greg Hembree asking him to move forward with new charges in the case.

After much TLC, the cats are healing nicely and many have been spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, wormed, and treated for fleas. The cats who are going up for adoption this week were not yet ready to attend the earlier adoption events, but they're now much healthier and ready for their own happily ever after. Thank you, Horry County, for getting these cats the help they need and deserve!

Written by Michelle Sherrow