Animal overload: How many pets is too many?

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An episode of Animal Planet's ÒConfessions: Animal Hoarding,Ó tells the story of Lolette and Russ, a retired couple that runs a rescue out of their home, which has grown to care for more than 200 cats. Photo courtesy of Animal Planet

Updated: April 19, 2011 5:07AM

The person you love hoards 20 pit bulls or a houseful of debris. How to help?

Suggest they watch television.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel J. Moran has been traveling all over the country helping people confront their hoarding in his role on two TV shows that utilize his expertise: Animal Planet’s “Confessions: Animal Hoarding” and the Discovery Channel’s “Hoarders: Buried Alive.”

“I interview the family and teach them how to support the person who is doing the hoarding — if that person wants to change,” said Moran, who is on staff at Silver Cross Hospital. “I also meet the individuals, try to find their motive and help them take steps toward living more flexible lives.”

Dan Jackson, executive producer of “Confessions: Animal Hoarding,” said he searched for clinical psychologists with experience in hoarding. Moran is one of five psychologists Jackson selected.

Ten episodes are planned for this season; Moran has appeared on three of them. “He’s part of our team,” Jackson said. “He tries to understand these people and then help them out.”

There is a major difference between owning many pets, or a substantial magazine collection, and hoarding. Those who hoard acquire significantly more animals or useless possessions than can adequately fit in a particular space. Living a normal routine is severely impaired or impossible to execute, further distressing the hoarder.

The difficulty in treating hoarding, Moran said, is that a definite cause is often difficult to pinpoint. Hoarders come from all races and backgrounds; many live otherwise healthy lives. Their underlying fear is parting with something they may later want back.

“They appear psychologically flexible on the outside, but when you visit their house you can see the anxiety there,” Moran said. “They’re unwilling to feel the tension that happens when they throw something out. They know their behavior is irrational, but that doesn’t influence whether or not they continue to hoard.”

During one episode of “Hoarders: Buried Alive,” Moran climbed over a 4-foot pile of debris in one woman’s kitchen (“My head almost banged up against the light fixture,” Moran said), then crawled across another seven feet of garbage. The living room contained no less than 23 piles.

Moran said people may hoard to avoid anxiety, fill a void or compensate for less than adequate social skills. This last area is especially true for animal hoarders, who may find it easier to relate to animals than to people, even members of their families.

“They amass large quantities of animals, which cuts them off from social events,” Moran said. “Then it takes them so long to take care of the animals; they can’t take care of their families and they can’t hold down a job. It can be vicious cycle.”

Typical treatment, Moran said, may include the help of a psychologist and a professional organizer. As the hoarder goes through the motions of sifting through each item piece by piece and experiencing the accompanying tension, they learn how not to respond to stress with continued hoarding.

The solution is trickier for animal hoarding. “You can’t just throw out a pet,” Moran said, “but it may be challenging finding homes for them all.”

The television shows’ clients are not the only people learning. Moran is amazed at the time and amount of people it takes to create a 24-minute television show. However, he feels the effort is well worth it.

“I think I’m making a difference,” Moran said. “These shows are promoting the idea that hoarding is a problem and that people can be helped.”