Animal hoarding — keeping more animals than can be adequately cared for — is a significant welfare crisis affecting tens of thousands of animals annually and requires specialized intervention.
Animals rescued from hoarding situations often have complex medical and behavioral needs from years of deprivation, disease, and trauma. Hoarding cases overwhelm local shelters and rescue organizations with large numbers of compromised animals simultaneously. Effective response requires coordination between animal control, mental health services, and social services. Without addressing the underlying human mental health issues, hoarding often recurs.