PAW PRINTS

collection of creatures

With World Animal Day and World Mental Health Day both falling in October, there’s no better time to take a close look at the serious issue of animal hoarding.

This year alone, there have already been seven cat hoarding cases in Singapore—the most prominent being that of 94 cats living in a three-room Sengkang flat.

For most paw-rents, the thought of living in squalor and being surrounded by sick animals, urine and faeces is unimaginable.

However, animal hoarders strongly believe that they are helping these animals despite being unable to provide even minimal standards of care for their furry wards.

Although research on animal hoarding is lacking, many hoarders have been found to have dysfunctional, unstable childhoods during which animals were the only constant. They form deep attachments to their pets and experience extreme grief when they lose their furkids. Yet, animal hoarders are