Animal hoarding is a situation that occurs when a person acquires many animals but is unable to provide adequate standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care for them, often resulting in the suffering, illness, or death of the animals. In most cases, animal hoarders believe their animals are receiving the best care, even when the animals are showing obvious signs of distress and illness, and the environment in which they are living is unsanitary and unsafe.

SPCA acknowledges that animal hoarders may be suffering from mental health issues and require specific and focused support to manage their problems. Our organisation recognises that hoarding is a problem which affects not only the animals and the individual concerned, but also whole communities.

SPCA advocates for increased awareness of animal hoarding and encourages other agencies to learn about human behaviours that impact on animals. SPCA supports inter-agency cooperation to deal with such instances in order to achieve a positive and lasting solution for the animals and people involved.