Compulsive Shopping for Pets

Compulsive Hoarding Of Pets

The United States is an incredibly pet-friendly nation. We love our dogs, cats and various animal kingdom friends to the point that they constitute a major part of our daily expenditures.  According to The American Pet Products Association, in 2014 alone, American pet owners spent over 58 billion dollars on their pets. Additionally, Americans are a part of one the most consumer prone cultures on the planet. How can this tie into a potential problem of compulsive shopping for one’s pets?

Compulsive shopping for pets

Why people buy for their pets is a question that needs to be answered. Many people see pets as their children, specifically people who are empty nesters, single, or senior citizens. Most people have a natural want or need to take care of something or somebody. And having a pet, is a natural outlet for  someone wanting to care for another creature. This caring can reach an extreme level, either by having too many accessories for the animal, or too many animals in the home, which often can break local laws.

People buy a wide variety of different things for their animals;  ranging from special foods, beds and toys to keep their animals content. This, is the case of a compulsive shopper; it can become addicting activity that stretches the pet owner’s financial resources. They may go into the pet department of a store and immediately buy something that they might consider useful or something that they think animals deserve. However, they may already have multiples of that item at home, and this can quickly begin to clutter their property.  In many cases, they are unnecessary items, that can quickly start to overtake space in their residence.  This can be problematic, particularly in tight urban areas. And, in some cases, people justify their purchases by taking in additional pets.

When people purchase these items they may realize that their current animals may not be enjoying these presents, so perhaps they need playmates to help enjoy them. An increased animal population in the home can result in a series of problems. An increased animal population in the home also increases the risk of procreation of more animals if they are not spayed or neutered. Also, the individual may not have purchased, or gotten a pet from a friend or acquaintance.  Most of the individuals in this type of situation are genuine animal lovers; often reach out to stray or feral animals that have been left to fend for themselves. In order to protect the animals, some individuals take them into their homes.  When this occurs, events can spiral out of control, and this can turn into a potential animal hoarding situation.

Animal hoarding situations can be problematic and highly dangerous for both the animals and the hoarders. The items that compulsive shoppers may buy are sometimes not the most practical things for animals in their home. The lack of clear priorities by the pet owners can lead to the animals being undernourished or not having anywhere to rest.  The amount of clutter and additional pets in the home can be stressful for the animals and they may act out and become aggressive or frightened.  The clutter can also result in filth that results in the need for a specialty cleaning service.

Address Our Mess offers a full-service cleaning for individuals who suffer from animal hoarding. Their expert technicians can help solve the pet clutter problem, and clean the areas where animals may have made a mess or have soiled. These large scale cleanup projects take a great amount of care and compassion, and Address Our Mess's staff offers support to the pet owner, and the professional skills necessary to get the home cleaned.

Fri, 09/04/2015 - 02:15 by Kenneth Donnelly