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Article Archive > Animal hoarders often well-meaning Animal hoarders often well-meaning An anonymous tip last November led to the discovery of 130 cats inside a Manchester home. It took two days to catch the cats, says Thomas Yanisko, an officer for the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who was asked by Manchester animal control to assist in the case. Most of the cats, sick with ringworm and upper respiratory infections, had to be euthanized, he says. The woman renting the house, who had recently moved there from Monmouth County, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. She was fined more than $5,500, given a suspended jail sentence and agreed that she can own no more than two spayed or neutered cats in the future. "It was a lose-lose situation for her and the cats," Yanisko says. "Her heart was in the right place. She sacrificed everything from herself in order to care for them. But this is what happens when your desire to take care of animals exceeds your ability to do so." Christine Cetero of Manchester agrees. She knows people who have been hoarders, she says. "These people do have good intentions, but they're not thinking clearly. They're not doing the animals justice," says Cetero, a social worker who also runs a cat rescue. "They smell of urine. Their homes smell of urine." Hoarding is more common than people realize, say animal-welfare workers, some of whom believe municipalities should limit how many pets can be owned. Others, including Ursula Goetz, executive director of the Monmouth County SPCA in Eatontown, disagree. "Some people cannot take care of one animal, while others can take good care of 10," Goetz says. "It's when you become a hoarder it gets out of hand." An Assembly bill, which also would consolidate and strengthen animal cruelty laws, defines hoarding by whether necessary care is provided. The number of animals owned would be a factor in deciding if someone should be charged with hoarding, according to the bill sponsored by Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May County, and dozens of other lawmakers. A 2005 case in Keansburg illustrates how the good intentions of animal lovers can go astray, says Victor "Buddy" Amato, chief law enforcement officer for the Monmouth County SPCA in Eatontown. "When we got to the house, to get from one point to another, we had to lay DVD cases for a path across the floor because there were several inches of feces. I threw up several times. It was disgusting," he says. "There were 28 live cats, five dead cats in different stages of decomposition. We pulled cats out for weeks after, trapping them. There were 28 originally but probably 38 total." Most of the cats were sick and had to be euthanized, and the house had to be gutted. The homeowner was charged with 50 counts of animal cruelty, he says. "She had no defense except it got away from her," Amato says. "I know this because a year and a half earlier, I was there because a neighbor complained she had too many cats. At that time, there was no problem. The difference was night and day in that year and a half. "People fall on hard times - mentally, in relationships, financially. "Things got out of control. She was very remorseful," Amato says. The woman pleaded guilty, was fined $1,000, given five years of probation, ordered not to own animals for five years and told to get counseling. Most hoarders do fit a profile, says Carl Galioto, NJSPCA chief law enforcement officer. Most are well-intentioned, reclusive, and often unkempt, elderly or without a significant other. They can't afford pet care, ignore health issues, don't realize how many animals they own and refuse to adopt out an animal. Animal collectors are different, he says. "A collector can afford the care and upkeep of their animals, whether it be five or 50. Collectors know how many animals they have and will adopt out an animal," he says. Some cases fall into both categories. Some even end fairly well. Today, a coatimundi lives at the Associated Humane Societies' Popcorn Park Zoo in Lacey. A few years ago, the coatimundi - a South American animal similar to a raccoon - was living in a South Toms River woman's home, says John Bergmann, general manager of the zoo. "A coatimundi can't be handled. He's a wild animal, not like a cat or dog where you call him, and he jumps in your lap," he says. "The lady had well over 50 animals," including cats, dogs and peacocks, says Scott Watkins, an NJSPCA officer for Ocean and Burlington counties. The woman agreed to surrender most of the animals, limit pet ownership and allow the SPCA to conduct random inspections, he said. No charges were issued, and his visits show she's doing well, he says. |