Cat hoarder i work with.. what to do ?

Question

There's this guy at my work, whom ive always thought was a decent man. Well, as he calledi n sick last week, words leaked about his 32 cats. I am soooo against cat hoarders, and its digusting irresponsible and just flat out cruel. He is a 'breeder', only he's not selling the cats, just impregnating the 5-7 month old kittens to add more to his collection. He also is a judge and shower at cat shows. And last i checked, cat hoarding was ILLEGAL to those regulations. I'm stuck, because every part of me wants to turn him in, save those cats. But if I do this, not only will i ruin his life, but I will ruin his partners as well, as he will be out of a job. (they work together as professional dog groomers) And, I also take 70% of my bosses business away. And thats not fair to her, from me. So its like what do I do with what i know.. any suggestions ????

Answer 1

Well first, they're referred to as collectors and believe it or not, it is an actual mental disorder/disease. I would recommend going to an animal welfare group--either the SPCA or a Humane Society. This is better than going to law enforcement, because the SPCA and such understand this type of problem as more of an education problem than rule-breaking. They are more likely to do all they can to educate him and convince him to let them take over most of the cats, making it easier for him to handle the ones he has left. They will use law enforcement as a last resort.

Answer 2

I would anonymously report him to the ASPCA or Animal Control. Cats living in these conditions often give each other viruses which just continue to spread. Often these homes have cat feces and urine everywhere. It's a psychological condition on his part and he needs professional help. These cats are often not social and often not adoptable. Most cats from "hoarding" homes are very ill and often euthanized. If you put a stop to it now, he may be able to get some professional help and it will put a stop to adding any more cats that will most likely need to be euthanized. I'm sorry because this is a really tough situation and hard decision to make. It also doesn't have to take away from his professional life/job/business or from your job. Usually the neighbors will eventually report him because of the smell and unsanitary conditions and it will be stopped anyway. The faster it happens, the better it will be for him and all those cats.

Answer 3

You said, "... word leaked out about his 32 cats." Have you ascertained the truthfulness of the stories you have heard about this guy? Have you seen the cats? How they are housed? From what I have seen on animal planet and animal cops and all, cat hoarders don't usually hold jobs outside their home or otherwise lead a normal life. Hoarding animals IS illegal and if I were you, I would wait till the guy gets back to work and say to him that you have heard rumors that he keeps 32 cats. See how he reacts. Perhaps it is not true that he keeps 32 cats. Personally, it would take more than hear-say and rumors around the office to make me pick up the phone and bring possible grief to somebody. All I am saying is that please make sure about your facts before you report anybody.

Answer 4

Sounds like rumors have been flying around the office. Generally (but not always) people who show and judge animals are responsible and take excellent care of their pets.
In order not to embarass yourself, why not ask the man if he needs some help taking care of his cats? Suggest that you heard he owns over 15 cats. Ask him how he finds the time to care for them all? If he verifies more than that, then you can annonymously call the ASPCA in your local area and ask them to check on the animals. If he has that many, maybe he's a broker too and doesn't care about the cats, just the money. If he's a hoarder, the ASPCA will help but if he is a broker and not acting in the best interest of the animals, they will confiscate all the animals. Whatever happens, don't act on rumors, find out the facts first.

Answer 5

maybe you sould visit the man at his home I knew a breeder with over 100 cats all saw a vet and were healthy, a hoarder is only called that when they are unable to care for the animals a person with 7 animals can be a hoarder, maybe the guy has a huge home and 40 cats aint that many. think about it, 7 to 10 breeding females and 1 to 3 males then several litters of kittens, if he was keeping them all he sould have well over a hundred as cats can have almost 3 litters a year at 3 to 8 kittens each time. If there is concern just as a humane officer to vivit his home if eveything is cool then no charges will be files. kinda mean the guy is sick and everyone is talking bad about him shame shame

Answer 6

If it really bothers you that much, there is such thing as anonymously turning him in. It's for peoples' safety. Look into that so nobody has to know it was you who ratted. That's what I would do. Yeah it will leave the guy in question of who did it but hey, it's better than like 35+ cats cooped up in a dirty old pig sty. Poor things. It's probably better for the man as well, health wise.

Answer 7

I to do not like these collectors. We have one down the road and her cats are so sickly when they do get to go outside! She opens her door when it is about fully dark and gosh cats come ripping out of her little house running across the street. She always seams to have babies and they look horrid!
Thing of it is around here there is no where to take cats, everyone knows she is a hoarder but know one wants to do anything about them....I spoke to the dog pound lady about it but they do not take cats.

Knowing the little bit you do, our you sure his cats are mistreated? Have you seen sickly cats as I have? It sounds like they groom these cats, and maybe even shows them?

Have you seen that dog guy on tv in California, he has gosh hundred or so dogs in this fenced area. He is on tv and all his dogs look well cared for.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

Answer 8

You can make an anonymous call to an animal shelter. You could probably explain the situation to whoever takes your report and they won't tell the man who made the call. It's not your fault that he does it. Whether or not it ruins his life isn't your concern. He apparently knows that it's wrong and if it ruins his life in turn that's going to be his problem.

Answer 9

You have to involve the SPCA into this, they will find good homes for the cats.
You are not responsible for his bad choices, he should have thought about that before breaking the law.
Their dog grooming business should not suffer, but allowing this to continue is criminal in itself.
If you contact him beforehand, it's just a heads-up, and he'll put them elsewhere until the heat passes, then he will simply continue.

Answer 10

Think of it this way: he is a human. He made his own choices to do what he's doing to those animals. Therefore, he is the one who ought to take the consequences. The cats didn't volunteer for that life, so it's wrong to let them suffer that way. You need to think about the animals and not worry about his business or lifestyle or anything else. Whatever happens to him, he brought on himself. Save the cats! They can't turn him in themselves.