‘Those were my babies’ — animal hoarding is a complex psychological problem
Hoarding is recognized as a complicated problem and has spurred a specialty among psychologists and researchers around the country over the past decade. Some are rethinking whether animal- and object-hoarding share the same roots.
Illinois is the only state that criminalizes animal hoarding, separate from animal cruelty. The law is meant to focus on mental health, allowing courts to order that someone undergo psychological evaluation and treatment at the convicted person’s expense. A first-time violation is a misdemeanor, with a subsequent violation a felony.