Instructions
Inspect the living conditions of the animals in the person's home. The home of a hoarder has a strong odor of ammonia from cat urine that you can usually smell from outside of the home. Inside, the home will have dried urine, feces and cat vomit strewn on the floor, along with other debris from the cats. The home may also appear dilapidated, extremely cluttered and have holes in the walls or windows.
Examine the cats in the home for signs of a lack of proper care. Animals of a hoarder appear emaciated, have matted fur, and show signs of illness such as injuries, lethargy, weeping eyes or skin lesions. You will see multiple cats huddled together that the owner has not socialized. Non-socialized animals appear fearful toward you, and will usually run from human contact.
Ask the owner how many cats she has in his home. A hoarder will not know or want to admit the actual number of cats present in the home.
Look for litters of kittens in the home. A hoarder usually does not spay or neuter animals, instead allowing them to breed freely. A hoarder with a large number of cats will usually have at least one litter of kittens in the home at any given time, especially during the spring to the fall months, when most females go into heat.
Ask the person you suspect is hoarding animals if she has friends or family nearby that you can contact. A hoarder usually isolates herself from the community and can appear unkempt, so a suspected hoarder may refuse to give you such information or genuinely not have anyone to turn to. If the person does give you any information, ask the friend or relative to help the hoarder care for the animals and clean her home. You may also want to ask if the suspected hoarder has experienced a recent trauma that can trigger this type of behavior.
Check to see if a person you suspect of being a hoarder runs a rescue organization. If so, ask her how many animals she has in her care and what efforts she makes to adopt cats out. Check to see where she accepts new animals, since a hoarder does not usually accept animals in her overcrowded home, instead opting to accept them in parking lots, street corners or other remote locations.
How to Spot Cat Hoarding
When someone you know or live near begins to collect a large number of cats, without the means to care for them, she may have a condition known as hoarding. A hoarder does not believe that she has a problem, instead believing that she is saving the cats or protecting them in some way. Without help, the person will continue to collect stray cats or allow the existing cats to breed in large numbers, presenting a health hazard to both the cats and the owner.