Noah Project – support for animal hoarding
Cornwall Mind and RSPCA Cornwall have joined together to deliver a pilot project to support people affected by Noah Syndrome, a complex mental health problem known as animal hoarding disorder.
Animal hoarding is when you keep too many animals to provide proper care for. You might have trouble noticing that this lack of care causes harm to the animals. This could include the animals not having:
- Food
- Shelter
- Enough space to exercise and stay healthy
- Vets or medical care
- Clean environments
- Safe breeding environments
Often, at this time, the person experiencing animal hoarding is overwhelmed but does not seek support. This not only impacts the welfare of the animals in the property but also the person’s own health and wellbeing and can even affect those around them such as family, friends and neighbours. Very often, serious hoarding will lead to the animals being removed and to legal action, both of which impact on the mental health of the owners.
You might experience animal hoarding on its own, or alongside other types of hoarding. The reasons behind hoarding animals are very complicated. Those of us who hoard animals can often:
- Believe very strongly that we are saving the animals or have a duty to look after them.
- Have a very strong emotional connection to all the animals.
- Find it difficult to see that we are harming them, which can be very hurtful when people tell us we are.
The Noah Project provides wellbeing support for people in both the early and late stages of animal hoarding. The project will address the underlying cause of hoarding and encourage animal ownership that is healthy, safe and sustainable.
To make a referral to the Noah Project, please contact the RSPCA Cornwall. Make a referral
Funded by Cornwall Community Fund, National Lottery and RSPCA Cornwall Branch.
Posted on: 2nd December 2024