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

I agree with you, also. She has good intentions and is taking care of the animals unlike hoarders. She just needs some help so she can start her shelter.  Hopefully, with this exposue and the lawyer Dr. Phil has provided she will get the support she needs.

The real problem is that pet owners of all animals need to be more responsible and have their pets spayed and neutered. All over the country millions of animals are killed for no reason. Pet adoption should be much more difficult. There should  be laws restricting the breeding of animals. This would save many lives and would definitely save money for cities and counties in the long run.

There's all sorts of ways to recycle things. That lettuce could be composted as can alot of your "wet trash"  i'm sure there's info on the internet about all that. Also, old (clean) jars can either be recycled traditionally or saved until you have a FEW gathered and then donated to charities for crafts, Old light bulbs can also be made into crafts. Some sort of stuccoish compound/paint is painted on and basically they end up as snowmen. Boyscouts in our area collect old papers, out of date coupons (up to a point) can be sent to our servicemen and women to use at the PX. I think it's up to 3 months. there's organizations that will come by your house on a monthly basis to take old clothes and sometimes other stuff.  Egg cartons make great paint trays for crafters or button and bead holders.

 I guess the key is organization and being prompt in finding your unwanted stuff a good home. Also, creativity or finding ideas on the net. What can you do w/ a broken styrofoam cooler? Break it into smaller pieces and use it to pack  around breakables when packing.

 Hang in there and don't be afraid to seek out help and ideas

   God Bless

I understand that the issue is about the 200 cats, but this lady is on a 10 acre lot of land. The trailer made it look like she was living in a suburban home, outside the city. Ten acres is big enough for a cattery, and her neighbors shouldn't stick their noses in her business.

The question in this case is:  Are the cats themselves causing damage to the neighbors' homes?  From what I've seen, absolutely not.

As an anthropologist and medical assistant, I don't see this lady taking things too far. I hate to say this to everyone, but Dr. Phil is using his own personal beliefs to determine how to fix this situation. He obviously hasn't met and lived with people who have kept this many domestic animals before. I've been there and done that, so it's easy for me to be compassionate to those who are like this lady. As long as the animals are well-cared for, I don't see a problem with keeping 200 cats. In this episode, Dr. Phil reminds me of another famous pop-psychologist, Dr. Laura, who uses her personal, conservative beliefs to "diagnose" her patients. There is no science to determine the "diagnosis." There are also no cultural, religious, or individual considerations taken into account. Dr. Phil's advice is like a one-size-fits-all T-shirt:  while few people find it looks good on them, on some the shirt looks like a potato sack while on others it is much too tight.

I still say there may be a religious reason for keeping this many cats. I also personally believe that God makes people who find it easier to relate to animals and plants than to people. There is nothing wrong with that. Those people are designated to be caretakers in this world. I've met people who spend their entire life defending [and researching] certain plants. Again, there is nothing wrong with that.

If I were in her shoes, I would find another place and leave. And above all, don't tell anyone where you are going. That way the nosy types don't follow.  Who wants nosy neighbors around them? 

I, myself, have recently dealt with nosy, racist neighbors who have harassed my family over trees on our property. These people hired a tree removal service to destroy our property because the trees created privacy for us. They went so far as to call the police after informing the lumberjacks that the flora was on my property. Everyone was surprised when I enacted the 4th, 5th, and 6 amendments of the constitution by saying stuff like, "I don't consent your presense on my property. And I will not answer any questions or sign any papers without the presense of my lawyer." When the police got offended and tried to scare an answer out of me, I told them, "This issue is for the courts to decide." Then I repeated the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendments to the officer, who eventually left after yelling at me for offending him. Our situation got fixed and the trees stayed. ^_^

I agree that, in the meantime, she should consult an animal rights lawyer to fight off any lawsuits the neighbors are trying to pin on her.

I am a real "hoarder". We are planning on moving to a new home. My brain tells me I need to get rid of about 90% of my stuff. Like "Mama Shmo" I just don't know where to start. I do just move from one spot to another. My husband came from a service family that moved a lot so he tosses his things if he hasn't used them in 3 months.

After lunch today I told him I would need help throwing things away because I knew I couldn't do it my self. We were doing pretty good...he was pulling things out and I would make a decision to keep or toss. I was very proud of myself that I got rid of about 1/2 of what was in the kitchen and pantry. However, things went bad when I noticed he was thrown away things I hadn't seen. I felt so upset I had to stop.

I really want to do this but I need to do it in my own way. How can I explain this to my husband without hurting his feeling or making him not want to help me.

There are several different issues going on here.

She has 200 cats.  WOW I admire people with that much dedication.  Their hearts are beautiful and she is a LOVELY, WONDERFUL PERSON. Mother Teresa spent her life caring for orphans in Calcutta and was handed a Nobel Peace Prize  It is people like them that make the world a better place  That said.  She may have issues.  To let that consume you to the point here you do not see your family or have any social life... well that may not be healthy.  But however, that is her choice.

Now those neighbors... Im sorry, they came off as money hungry, lying, degenerate lowlives.  Seriously, "Well there was some antifreeze left out in my house.. i dunno if the cats drank it."  Yeah right.  Noone in their right mind would just leave antifreeze out, esecially if they know that there are animals roaming the area.  Unless you WANT the animals to drink it.  I doubt that they actually drank it.  I belive that they might have been poisoned.  But only they know.  If they did may God have mercy on them.

Any person who would go thru the process of killing living things out of spite, has more serious issues than a person caring for 200 cats.  All they care about is their property value....moeny money money.  At least someone has their priorities straight.

I think that lady has the right to have those cats. I know that the law says otherwise but the law is stupid. At least she is taking care of them. Everyone is always whinning to adopt cats and dogs cause they need homes. Well this lady gave them a home. She takes care of them and loves them. So what if she spends lots of  money on them. She loves them and it makes her happy and the cats are happy to. She gets them fixed so they can't make more cats. Which is another good thing that she does. If they take them away from her then there will be lots of homeless cats. When they could all have homes and be wanted. All whats going to happen is they are going to be put to sleep. That isn't fair. I know she will probably lose the case and I hope she doesn't. She is a good person and I think she should be able to keep them. The law sucks!