Lady with 130 cats

Found out about this through this article via Dr. John's newsletter. The poll choices regarding the woman were:

She is crazy

She is trying to do the right thing but is going about it the wrong way

This is wrong--cats should be re-homed

There is no excuse for this stupidity

This was my reply in the comments section after the poll.

People who bandy about words like "crazy" and "stupid" need to educate themselves regarding obsessive-compulsive disorder and hoarding disorder and mental illness in general. Many people who have mental illness have higher than average intelligence and most are not dangerous. Most mentally ill individuals are not, in fact, psychotic. There are also varying degrees of psychosis and many people with psychoses are aware of their condition and take steps to control it.

I have six cats, which is probably more cats than I should have, and I could become someone who took in too many cats if I let myself because I really love them and its sad to see them homeless. Although I do have a degree of hoarding disorder with possessions, I fortunately do not have it with animals. It wouldn't be right for the animals. That being said, this woman is doing a surprisingly good job. It would be nice if she could be helped to care for her animals rather than being penalized. Sometimes our society is far too rigid and inflexible. For a person who thinks a bit outside the norm, living in this world can be a lot like living in a housing development with a lot of strict covenants.