Ian MacFarlaine RVNNeutering Manager

CATS PROTECTION

Animal Hoarding

CP - is this what springs to mind?

Cats Protection • UK Charity• 29 adoption centres• 260 volunteer

branches• 7,000 + volunteers• 435 staff (FTE posts)

• 55,000 cats

homed/reunited• 150,000 cats

neutered

The story so far• Since last NDWA &

LACoRS May 2009• 1st ever LA seminar last

week, next one in Leeds, Feb 2010.

• 20 Local Authorities now on the voucher scheme. Further seven joining late 2009

• Vouchers held by Dog Wardens, AWOs, Community Wardens, Housing Officers.

• Proactive, reactive, comfort blanket!

The story so far• Since last NDWA &

LACoRS May 2009• 1st ever LA seminar last

week, next one in Leeds, Feb 2010.

• 20 Local Authorities now on the voucher scheme. Further seven joining late 2009

• Vouchers held by Dog Wardens, AWOs, Community Wardens, Housing Officers.

• Proactive, reactive, comfort blanket!

Hoarders

• The Rescuer• The Overwhelmed• The Breeder• The Compulsive Hoarder

Hoarders

• The Rescuer• The Overwhelmed• The Breeder• The Compulsive Hoarder• The Kitten Sniffer

Defining Hoarding ?•More pets than they can adequately provide care and husbandry for.

•Denial…..

•Not numerical

Hoarders V Collectors “Collectors” - Accumulate large numbers of animals for various reasons while usually providing appropriate care and housing for them.

Hoarders - Irrationally accumulate larger numbers of animals without providing even basic care for them. A form of passive cruelty, animal hoarders keep large numbers of neglected companion animals in inappropriate, inadequate, and over-crowded conditions that cause starvation, disease, behavioural problems, or death

Arluke et al. (2002)“Press Reports of Animal Hoarding, 2002”

Causes •Breeding, deliberate or inadvertant

•Rescue

•Traumatic life-event

•Mental Health problems

•Lack of money or resource

•Hoarder loves kittens……!”

Symptoms• Reclusive, defensive, resistant to help• House untidy or in disrepair - “You can guess which one it is from the road”• Nuisance reports to authorities (full cause not known)• Evidence of condition of property on hoarder or animals (smell etc)• Cats allowed outside present as a feral colony • Animals rarely presented to vet for treatment but when they are it is usually dramatic issues• Life-event • Animals scatter

Animal issues•Carrying, incubating, and shedding contagious illnesses e.g. Flu, Infectious Anaemia, Enteritis,, FIV, FeLV etc•Transmission by oversharing of husbandry equipment; breeding, fighting•Unsocialised, feral in nature - Neophobic•No vaccinal history•No remedial treatment

Animal issues

• In poor bodily condition and urgent need of treatment.

• Carrying external and internal parasites

• Aggressive contact – bites, eye injuries, abscesses

• Proximity Stress – Forced Colony

• Unventilated conditions

Dealing with the hoarderCustomers:

• Animals• Owner• Complainant• Neighbours• Family

Approach

• Sympathetic• Honest• Practical• Open minded

Dealing with the hoarderCustomers: Appropriate?

• Animals• Owner• Complainant• Neighbours• Family

Approach

• Sympathetic• Honest• Practical• Open minded

• Mental health problems underpin much hoarding

• Terrified of dealing with authority

• Even where there has been cruelty, these people still care about their animals – reflect this in your actions

• Take off epaulettes – civvies/dress down

• Be honest throughout the process and avoid blatant threats

Dealing with the hoarder (2)

“You are only allowed in one room”

• Often the case• Search houses properly. Don’t be warrant-shy• If applying for warrant, allow a period between previous

intervention and warrant, to regain element of surprise.• Hoarders often regularly take “presentable” animals to

the vet to give the impression of being a good owner• The illusion can be very good – so always suspect

hoarding even if the clues point elsewhere.• Enough’s enough. If no progress, report.

Case Study

“A”, Manchester 2006

Case Study (continued)

“A” suffered a serious physical assault at her front door in 1999.

As a result she developed fears and phobias of people including a reluctance to allow anyone else in the house, or to answer or even use the front door Her psychological condition was not recognised or treated and eventually this condition developed into hoarding of cats.

Case Study (continued)

““A” had 22 cats in the household which continued to breed until the matter was first brought to the attention of the authorities in 2000 as an F&V complaint.

Complaint passed to a T/O, who was tasked with animal welfare jobs but didn’t like them (animals or the jobs)

After a lengthy delay visiting, the following happened…

Continues…

• The T/O visited. Evidence suggested the house was already in a seriously F&V state, visible externally by vermin in the windows

• The T/O could not gain access and never did nor tried to. He simply accepted “A”´s assurance over the phone she had only 3 cats without checking. He closed the complaint.

• The matter remained unresolved until 2006 when fresh complaints prompted the authorities to finally gain access. 13 cats rehomed (with “A”´s consent) and the remainder neutered. “A” remained under close monitoring

Appropriate responses (ctd)Appropriate responses (ctd)

Case Study

• Throughout this time “A” maintained her full time job.....as a manager for a national animal charity.

• Consented visits every 6 months established clear compliance, finally closed in 2008

• Officers in EH arranged for A to see her GP• Officers facilitated A getting in touch with her

family from whom she had become estranged• Officers within department collectively begged,

borrowed and stole new furniture

Case Study

• Throughout this time “A” maintained her full time job.....as a manager for a national animal charity.

• Consented visits every 6 months established clear compliance, finally closed in 2008

• Officers in EH arranged for A to see her GP• Officers facilitated A getting in touch with her

family from whom she had become estranged• Officers within department collectively begged,

borrowed and stole new furniture• Very proud to have been a member of that team

Case Study

• Throughout this time “A” maintained her full time job.....as a manager for a national animal charity.

• Consented visits every 6 months established clear compliance, finally closed in 2008

• Officers in EH arranged for A to see her GP• Officers facilitated A getting in touch with her family

from whom she had become estranged• Officers within department collectively begged,

borrowed and stole new furniture• Very proud to have been a member of that team• A happy ending, but is this role of EHOs and AWOs?

Public Health Act 1936 s.83

The test:

- LA, satisfied that any premises is in a filthy or unwholesome condition and/or verminous,

- Notice to owner to remedy, including C&D

- Owner fails to comply: LA can do work in default or

extend notice

- May need warrant to get evidence of F&V

• Warrant power: access to determine whether F&V, facilitate access by contractors, supervise contractors, evaluate completion of work

• Warrant not applicable for ongoing monitoring visits once the initial complaint resolved

• Rebooting if reoffends

Public Health Act 1936 s.83

• Welfare needs of an animal not met:

(a) its need for a suitable environment,

(b) its need for a suitable diet,

(c) its need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns,

(d) any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals, and

(e) its need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and diseases

Resultant in offence under S.9

Animal Welfare Act 2006 S.9

• Inspector appointed under Act can issue SIN. SIN is not enforceable nor appealable. No proceedings possible while SIN in effect (so keep period short but relevant to case).

• SIN would effectively invalidate an RSPCA Non Statutory warning notice if both concurrent. Need to talk to your RSPCA Inspector if issuing an SIN, to avoid this, if dual involvement in case

Animal Welfare Act 2006 S.9

Sections 19 and 23 AWA 2006:

- Use S.19 to search for protected animal (warrant required for private dwelling).

- Use S.23 to search for evidence of offences. (Warrant required for private dwelling) If only animals, then use S.19.

Obstacles

• Social Services do not view hoarding as high urgency

• “Lifestyle choice” or “self-referral needed”• Communication issues, especially if there is a

tier barrier between authorities providing the EH function and the SS function

• The “works in default” option is only a temporary relief in many cases

• Reluctance of EHPs to get in there early; and timidity to use warrant powers

My suggestions• Establish list of agencies BEFORE you need them• For serious cases call a case conference if poss.• Data protection exemption – S29(3) - the prevention or detection of crime - the apprehension or prosecution of offenders• Use S.9 notices and powers under AWA creatively.

Authorise all EHOs under the Act so they can use these powers. Often much easier to use S.9 than PHA. Notices non-enforceable but non-appealable.

• Owners more affronted by suggestion that they neglect their animals than that the house is a heap.

Ian’s Urmston case• F&V complaint passed to EHO. Owner had dog.• Ian feeling generous and demob happy (3 weeks

before left Council!). Teflon wearing thin.• EHO had already tried and failed to get in to

property. Ian bets EHO a fiver he can get in • Joint visit. EHO tries again. Entry refused. Ian

introduces himself & explains parallel animal welfare SR and that he needs to see the dog.

• Dog brought to the door. Ian explains that the complaint was to do with where the dog lives and in order to resolve complaint, he needs to satisfy himself as to where the dog sleeps

• “Well come in if you must….”

Long term monitoring•Because powers do not extend to ensuring non-recidivism, the whole process has to “reboot” in the case of a recurrence.

•Further process still involved even if an owner has been banned from keeping animals

•For this reason, it is essential to try and maintain a working relationship with the hoarder.

•Make sure you maintain good relations with complainants from the outset, they will be your biggest allies to ensure the welfare of owner and animals long term

The Westminster pilot

• Explores the use of a multi-agency protocol in practice

• Analysis of cases handled by EH, SS departments and NHS built up a clearer picture of the scale of the problem overall

• All parties need to understand each others roles • Written documents not enough.

• More Information:

• FAB Feral Cat Manual (www.fabcats.org.uk)

• Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium - www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding

For the Dog Wardens…

Ian MacFarlaine

Veterinary Department

National Cat Centre

Chelwood Gate

West Sussex RH17 7TT

+44 (0)1825 741991

ian.macfarlaine@cats.org.uk