Cats have a way of sauntering into our lives, and taking over our homes. “In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods,” comedic writer Terry Pratchett once said. “They have not forgotten this.”
Winston Churchill was arguably more on point when he remarked “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”
Take snooty Siamese cats for example. With each animal selling for £500 per Metro UK, there must be an attraction. Wikipedia’s multiple authors may fight like cats and dogs as far as we know. However they do say Siamese cats prefer people, and occasionally suffer from depression when left alone.
Therefore they suggest keeping Siamese cats in pairs so they can compare their loud, low-pitched howls. As comedy actor Bill Dana once said “I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It’s not. Mine had he me trained in two days.
Perhaps that’s why an unnamed lady residing in the vicinity of Surrey and Kent assembled a menagerie of 55 Siamese cats, and allowed them to turn her residence into a maternity home.
How Could The Situation Have Reached This Point?
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America thinks ‘crazy cat ladies’ as some sceptics call them collect animals “for the sake of caring for them that results in accidental or unintentional neglect or abuse”.
They become victims of their own generosity to the point the situation overwhelms them and they withdraw from friends and family. The ASPCA adds this compulsion can involve “cats, dogs, reptiles, rodents, birds, exotics and even farm animals”.
The Association defines ‘animal hoarding’ as one or more of the following:
# The hoarder has “more than the typical number of animals”
# They are unable to provide minimal care and support
# They are in denial regarding the detrimental effect on the animals
They obtained this information from the Massachusetts-based Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium. This consortium comprises academic researchers based at the Cummings School of Veterinary medicine at Tufts University.
Hoarding of Animals is a Complex Disorder They Say
The group formed out of recognition the condition was not receiving sufficient support from public, mental and physical health professionals. They were especially concerned by the knock-on effects leading to child, senior, and own neglect.
They are exploring the relationships between people and their companion animals to understand why “a positive, beneficial, relationship can become very one sided and go terribly wrong, harming people and animals alike”.
While this Continues, What Happened to the 55 Siamese Cats?
Abraham Lincoln observed, “No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.” Things came to a head in the lady’s home when the number of cats went exponential. The RSPCA has taken the cats to three animal shelters where they will receive care.
Some may even be homed as groups where there are natural bonds. We haven’t heard a word about what happened to the lady though.
She must be deeply concerned about the welfare of her cats, because that’s in the nature of animal hoarders. Could it be true we care more for animals than our fellow human beings? American cartoonist Jim Davis did say ”Cats rule the world.”
