\u201c[The resident of the house] started out with the best intentions, wanting to save animals, and then wound up underwater with them,\u201d LBACS manager Dr. Melanie Wagner said.<\/p>\n
The officers immediately took in 11 of the cats because they were sick. The person living in the house, who Wagner said is cooperating, is bringing the rest of the cats, five at a time, at regular intervals to the shelter.<\/p>\n
This was another sad case of animal hoarding, a mental disorder that an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) article<\/a> defines as \u201can inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter and veterinary care \u2014 often resulting in over-breeding of animals, animal starvation, illness and even death. In some cases, guardians believe they are helping their animals and deny this inability to provide minimum care.\u201d<\/p>\n The article gives an opinion that animal hoarding may be a different type of hoarding disorder<\/a> from one in which the hoarder feels unable to discard possessions such as old newspapers and containers. It may also stem from a traumatic childhood or the desire to rescue every animal the person sees on the street without considering their own financial or physical capacity to handle them all.<\/p>\n \u201cIt comes from a place of wanting to love and help animals, and it gets out of hand,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cOur strategy is obviously to make sure the animals are safe and also to make sure we have the capacity for care and avoiding contagion.\u201d<\/p>\n Not all people who hoard animals want to cooperate.<\/p>\n \u201cDepending on the severity, we may need to get police involvement,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cWe can\u2019t go breaking down doors. We need to involve LBPD, maybe get a warrant. We don\u2019t manage the numbers \u2014 Code Enforcement<\/a> does. They oversee the limit when it gets out of hand, and LBACS is included to reduce the number. We manage health and welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n Municipal shelters have to get creative when conditions make it necessary to take in an entire hoarded population at once.<\/p>\n \u201cYou pivot your operation pretty quickly,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cYou turn the parking lot or an open area into triage, you ship in prefab containers if you need to, you reach out to rescues. We once took in a hoarding case of 44 bunnies who had ringworm, scabies and pregnancy. We turned one of the cat rooms into a rabbit rescue room. In emergency cases, one of the things I\u2019ve been told is that animal rescue groups have to support you.\u201d<\/p>\n The cooperation of the cat hoarder was helpful in managing the staggered intake of the cats. The sickest ones who came in first are now receiving treatment. The Little Lion Foundation<\/a> pulled several of them, and Pasadena Humane<\/a> contacted LBACS to pull others. The cats who remain at LBACS will be up for adoption when they\u2019re healthy.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re doing well,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cWe have some exceptionally friendly cats and some who won\u2019t be socialized. Those will go to Kitty Bungalow\u2019s Working Cats Program<\/a> for unsocialized cats.\u201d<\/p>\n Recognizing and helping animal hoarders<\/p>\n A household with multiple pets doesn\u2019t always signal a hoarding situation, but there are certain indicators. ASPCA lists them as follows:<\/p>\n The person owns an unusual number of animals. In some cases, the person may not know the total number of animals in their care.The person is unable to provide minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter and veterinary care for the animals.The home or property has deteriorated (i.e., dirty windows, broken furniture, holes in the wall and floor, extreme clutter).There is a strong odor, and floors may be covered with dried feces, urine, vomit, etc.Animals may be emaciated, lethargic and under-socialized.Fleas and vermin are present.\u00a0The person may be isolated from social support and may neglect themselves or appear physically or mentally unwell.In some cases, the person may desire assistance to rectify the situation, to help the animals and their living environment. In other cases, the person may not have awareness of the severity or decline help intended to resolve the situation. Reassure the person involved that it’s okay to accept help. People who accumulate animals may be worried that their animals will be killed, or that they will never see them again. Assure them that the animals need urgent care and that immediate action is necessary.Volunteer your time. With the removal of animals from a hoarding situation, the burden on local shelters can be staggering. Volunteer to help clean cages, socialize animals, walk dogs and perform other such necessary duties at a shelter or rescue near you.<\/p>\n The last two list points are important. As Wagner said, animal hoarders usually think that they\u2019re doing right for the animals or may need a sense of security that animals provide. If the pets aren\u2019t cared for, reporting the situation will help the pets, but the human needs care, too, which can be touchy whether you know the person or are a stranger. If you\u2019re comfortable, contact a medical professional for advice; Long Beach\u2019s listing of mental health resources is a place to start.<\/p>\n This is a good time to remember that we sometimes need to put a check on ourselves. Animal advocates who aren\u2019t hoarders can still have their Noah\u2019s Ark capsize if they don\u2019t set limits. Surely some of us can relate to that.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is such a thing as a cost for carrying too much because you can end up in a situation where you and the animals are at risk,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cDecide what your individual capacity is, and set clear boundaries in rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n If you believe that someone is hoarding animals, Wagner said to report it to Long Beach Animal Care Services<\/a> at 562-570-7387, to Code Enforcement<\/a> or to the Long Beach Police Department at 562-570-6711 or on their website if you observe an urgent issue such as multiple dead or suffering animals.<\/p>\n \u201cI always talk about partnership and community,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cOur animal welfare crisis is not an individual problem.\u201d<\/p>\n YOURS DROOLY<\/p>\n The cats from the hoarding situation are in quarantine and not available for adoption \u2014 yet. You can, however, help free up kennel space for them by making Long Beach Animal Care Services<\/a> (LBACS) your first stop for adoption. Cats and kittens are always two for one adoption fee. This November, during LBACS\u2019 Give Thanks, Give Love promotion, you can choose your own adoption fee for any cat, dog or bunny because, as the slogan reads, \u201clove shouldn\u2019t have a price tag.<\/p>\n Tonight, Friday, Nov. 7, is First Fridays at the shelter and they\u2019re open until 8 p.m. You\u2019ll have lots of time to come by and take advantage of all the win-wins for you and the pets. Shelter hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 7700 E. Spring St. at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors).<\/p>\n Here are a few cat-volunteer favorites. Email PetAdopt@longbeach.gov to adopt or petfoster@longbeach.gov to foster. Check them all out here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Pretty little Olive (ID#A748983) is a 3-month-old silver tabby who\u2019s showing off her little spotted belly to prove she\u2019s been fixed. She\u2019s also hinting that that\u2019s where she\u2019d like a belly rub once she\u2019s in your house. Olive is FeLV positive<\/a>, which means that she has an incurable virus that may affect her health. With proper vet care and treatment, Olive can live happily in a home with either no other cat or one who is also infected with the virus. Olive came from the outdoors and was not vaccinated against FeLV, but if she could talk, she\u2019d remind you to be sure to get your cats vaccinated against this miserable illness.<\/p>\n This photo shows Twyla (ID#A749556) when she first entered the shelter. Someone just gave up this lovely 10-year-old cat. She was so forlorn, but you should see her now! She\u2019s sleek and lovely and is looking for the love of her life and a lap to go with it.<\/p>\n Tarragon (ID# A747778) is 5 months old. He had an eye removed, possibly from a rupture but he does just great with one eye! He loves people but needs an outlet for all that playfulness!<\/p>\n TAIL-WAGGIN’ AND NOSE-BOOPIN’ EVENTS<\/p>\n Whiskers in Wonderland Gala<\/p>\n It\u2019s the most wonderful time of the year yet again! The Little Lion Foundation<\/a> invites all the cat folks to partake of a festivity for the felines for the sake of saving the lives of Long Beach\u2019s vulnerable cats and kittens. The enchanting evening features live music and dancing, delicious hors d\u2019oeuvres, a silent auction, games with prizes, and a powerful keynote address by world-renowned cat behaviorist and advocate Jackson Galaxy<\/a>, whom you will recognize from Animal Planet\u2019s \u201cMy Cat from Hell.\u201d<\/a> Join in and snag some great holiday gifts for your friends, your family and yourself. Know that the greatest gift will be the funding of Little Lion\u2019s efforts, especially their rescue programs and especially, especially the low-cost, high-quality spay and neuter clinic that provides essential services to underserved families and community cats throughout Long Beach and the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n Whiskers in Wonderland takes place Sunday, Nov. 9, 5 p.m. at The Reef on the Water, 880 S Harbor Scenic Dr., Long Beach. Tickets $150 each; add-on game pass $25. Purchase here<\/a>.<\/p>\n SoCal Bulldog Rescue\u2019s Danbury Christmas Tree raffle<\/p>\n Oh, you know you can\u2019t do without this! Southern California\u2019s favorite haven for bulldogs is raffling off this quirky collectible. Funds raised by the raffle will go toward room, board and any necessary medical care for the rescue\u2019s squatty, adorable little charges. Drawing will take place Nov. 12, so the winner will be able to deck their halls with boughs of bullies in plenty of time for the holidays.<\/p>\n Raffle tickets are available through Nov. 10. Ticket prices are $10 each, 6 for $50 and 14 for $100, Buy tickets here<\/a>, or email Info@socalbulldogrescue.org for information on purchasing them by check, PayPal, Venmo or Zelle.<\/p>\n Programs for community cat TNVR education and certification<\/p>\n TNVR is the latest initialism for trapping, spaying or neutering, vaccinating and returning community cats to whence they came. Long Beach is making great leaps and pounces in the effort to make sure that our stray and abandoned kitties will go forth and breed no more in a concerted effort by our shelter at Long Beach Animal Care Services, rescues, volunteer trappers and just plain folks like you who organize, share resources and learn to trap. <\/p>\n One of them is John Crouch, who is one of Long Beach\u2019s biggest TNVR advocate and educator. He recommends the Community Cats Podcasts for anyone who wants to learn how to trap and take part in a certified program. Access this link<\/a> for a wealth of information.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Olive.jpg\")
Olive<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Twyla.JPG\")
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Tarragon<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Nov-9.jpg\")
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