Topic : 03/07 When Too Much is ... Too Much

I admit it, I am a hoarder. I understand her thinking completely. It had to be so hard for her to come forward and be on the show. It is an embarrassing  situation. My home is the same. I haven't had friends over in a year and a half. I will go see them instead. Recently I decided to get a dumpster at my house. I find it hard to throw everything out, so I do it little by little. I fill the dumpster twice a week and still have hardly made a dent. This is going to take time. My goal is to be "visitor friendly" by summer.

I understand her terror about having someone come in and throw things away for her. That thought just scares me, I would go off the deep end. That is one reason for the dumpster plan.

I'll let you know how it goes.

I am so happy to see someone who supports what Kristy is trying to do and with helpful information and resources. 

I wonder what happened to them. Mike was threatening to leave, but Lori didn't seem ready to even admit she had a problem. Lori kept saying that she couldn't get organized because she was too busy and had two jobs. Then she said she thought if she had a baby she would quit hoarding because she would be too busy to hoard. In other words Lori will always have excuses. She'll have a table covered in bills, which you can't actually see for all the old envelopes that she is keeping to use to write notes to herself, to remind herself to pay the bills. You get the picture.

To the person who wrote the above posting:  Well stated and written - an unfortunale bit of reality 

 

     Following todays episode of Dr. Phil, I came his website, where I read a number of earlier posting from when this show was aired last november - which I missed.  I found it very ironic that most of these postings where from people who did not even view the show!  Most of these were accusatory, some very angry and without any information to back their statements. Some making general sterotypical statements of what their opinion of  what a "cat hoarder"  was.  Some were bits of fluff with no idea what they were writing - the sum and total of their message being thoughless and pointless.

 

     I applaud the lady in the show with the 200 cats.  They appeared to be well taken care of and loved.  As stated in the show they were needled and spayed or neuteured.  There seemed to be alot of unanswered questions concerning the real relationship between the neighbours as well as with her sister. 

 

     I house and feed 68 adult cats, all who came from very questionable circumstances.  All are veterinary cared for, spayed or neutered and my facilities are SPCA inspected. They live in a large barn with a large fenced in area - including the top so they do not roam the neighbourhood but do enjoy being outside.  Knowing where these animals came from and the various injuries inflicted by humans or machines it frustrates me to no end how some people can be so cool to those of us who just want to care for life as best as we can. 

 

     Animals breathe air, feel pain, give birth to young, have individual personalities and are capable of thought processes.  It seems all too common in human nature to critize rather that discover solutions.  I work full time in the medical field.  I find it absolutely appaling how cruelly some people treat others of their own species.  It is worse - much worse - how animals are treated. 

I just watched this show.  Regarding the 200 cats:

 

I would have to physically be there to see the situation.  With not having doing that, I

feel 200 cats is too many for one resident to take care of.  My concern lies with the

maintenance of them, i.e., shots, neutering, and basically overall well-being looked

after with them.  I do question this.

 

As far as hoarding and keeping things in a residential house:

 

I am guilty of this also.  I was not like this before.  I developed this after being afflicted with

a disease which has left me physically uncapable of taking care of things.  My mother-in-law

has been teased about this also.  I could not understand why she kept things and rooms

piled up with miscellaneous collections.  She also has post polio syndrome, and not able

to do alot physically either.  I now can relate with her.  We joked one time about her as

she and my father-in-law decided to move to a smaller home.  My father-in-law said

he was concerned about moving all of her magazine collection for fear they might lose

the foundation of the house!

 

My point here is:  perhaps there is also an underlying reason which is physical as to why

the person "hoards" things.  Perhaps other family members might help by physically

pitching in with some cases of this.

 

I will say after seeing this show, I am heading for my closet (a mess of stuff), and I am going

to clean it out.  It is a start.  Well, I better stop typing and get to work with what I can do!  It

might not be alot today with what I do, but I will get an "A" for effort, I hope.

 

 

    Whatevever happend to just taking JUNK and throwing it in the TRASH

Lori - I hope you did whatever it was Dr Phil suggested,  I left watching the show to enter this message, but had never registered, so I don't know (but can suspect) how it was left.  My mom died 3 years ago - and I am in the process of finally disposing of the last items.  I can't remember a time whe our house was clean.  Oh maybe the it was "clean enough" unless someone wanted to use the PHONE, which was in the kitchen.  God knows that room was never clean.  I remember when I was about 12 - I went away with my older sister and her family for a week, and for some reason I "cleaned" the kitchen before I left.  It was demolished when I got back.  I remember baking pumpkin pies  and dropping one upside down on the floor.  Mom tried to conesole me  but she didn't get it - to me it was just one more food item gone.  The apartment we lived in - I called her at work one morning to tell her the exterminator was coming - she said to stay home from school and clean what I could.    I can remember the humilation of the man spraying around the fridge -----  and then opening the door to spray.  We "moved" not long after that.  When I was about 5 I played with the stove and caught a kitchen towel on fire!!!  Oh No!  What tio do with the evidence???  I looked at the kitchen table and thought to myself - no one wil EVER find anything in there.  So that is where I stached it.  I'm almost 50 years old and these memories are still fresh.  My sisters memories are about the same, a lot are worse.   It does not matter if you have a clean hallway or a clean bedroom, in time those will be filled too.  If you value your husband, if you value his sons, if you value a life involving people who will come into your home and spend time with you - not beacuse you are "needy" - then do what Dr Phil says.  Mom was a huge packrat, and i saw the same things in the pictures of your place.  she nveer got it, she never understood, clean it out, don't do it to your family and to yourself.

I agree with this other person who has 68 cats.  But confused as to how this lady ended up with 200 stray cats.  IRRESPONSIBLE PET OWNERS!!!  When you take on the responsibility of a pet it is yours for the pets life. 

 

As far as cats catching birds, that's nature.  How about, hawks catching kittens, yep it happened when I lived on a farm.  That too is nature.

 

I do believe these two men are ridiculous, why can't they help her in finding homes, help her build a barn or some kind of shelter for the cats.  "Love thy Neighbor"  don't be selfish.

 

I used to have 12 cats, I live in the city, we built a cage including top, and a tunnel for them to get in the house.  Yes we had some escape artists but they came back, and we found how they got out and fixed it.

 

 

The thing is, its up to HER to get the proper shelters and acquire the proper permits, the cats LAUGH at that fence she built, and so they are not being kept under control nor are they being kept on her property.

If the anti freeze ( a horrible way for any animal to die by the way ) is on the neighbor's property, then SHE is responsible for keeping them out of the property, I cannot control what my neighbors leave by their garages, so I keep my pets in the house and in my yard, see dogs and cats don't know that antifreeze, or any other poisons aren't good for them, it is up to US as the owners to ensure their health and well being, now if they are putting the poison onto her property, then charges should be laid.

As for humanely trapping them, and taking them to a proper shelter to be given a chance at being rehomed, then wonderful as long as they do it on their property, and make her aware that they are there and the cats will be taken to the local shelter 200 or more cats is a bit much for anyone alone, real shelters catteries and sanctuaries have armies of volunteers and employees working together for the welfare of these animals, it isn't all done by one person.

Animal bylaws are brought about for these reasons.  I have two dogs that stay on my property, I don't want the neighbors dog soing his business in my yard, I already have two I clean up after, I have five indoor cats of my own, tagged tattoed, and microchipped (cats are great escape artists, I named one of mine Houdini for that reason ), but like you pointed out, you find out HOW and correct the problem, not your neighbors.  I don't like other people's cats doing their business in my flower beds, not to mention, and keeping in mind cats are natural preditors, I don't enjoy chasing them away from my bird feeders or bat homes.

Do people need to be more responsible, a resounding YES, are there too many strays out there, again YES is a pet for life, YES if people took more responsibility for their pets, and had more RESPECT for their neighbors (see it works both ways here) there wouldn't be these problems.