‘I am literally swimming in cats.’: A visit home unmasks a mother’s decline into dementia and an extreme hoarding situation, forcing a son to call authorities and confiscate over 200 cats from an unsanitary home

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Sep 30, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Before we begin this story, we would like to set the tone here. Degenerative illnesses are no joke, and the people who experience them have one heck of a tough time. Tougher than we could ever know, for they do not know fully what is happening to them, nor do they know how to express what is happening to them. And in certain cases it can lead to some pretty outlandish behaviors, such as the hoarding of cats that is seen in this story.

Now, of course if this story centered around a person who had all their mental faculties in check and working order, then there would be absolutely no question that they are cruel hooman beings and deserve to be punished for what they did to these cats. But seeing as the person was indeed going through dementia, and no less, going through it alone, the events of this story should be taken with that perspective. 
 

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  • 01
    I moved to Europe for work a decade ago, and have not been back to the States for nearly 3 years, since my dad died. I felt bad leaving my mother alone, however money was tight and I was not able to
    via CatThrowaway998
  • 02
    afford to visit. She had numerous friends so I assumed she'd be ok. I came to visit finally, yesterday, and my mother's health, unfortunately, seems to have declined more than she let on.
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  • 03
    The whole house is full of cats. Hundreds of cats, some of them look to be pregnant, and some of them already have litters. 300 may be an understatement. I asked her where they came from and
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  • 04
    she didn't have an answer for me. I told her she needs to get rid of them but she insisted they were better off with her. To make matters worse, the guest room has been filled entirely with various birds. Parakeets,
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  • Holy guacamole, that is a lot lof wildlife for one home… like what kind of Old McDonald mansion is this woman living in that she can physically house that many animals in one place? It is difficult to even fathom the amount of animals being talked about.

  • 05
    finches, a swan (she says it's a swan) and various others I can't identify. I estimate there's 50+ birds, and they too look as if they've been breeding.
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  • 06
    several varied cats
    via Happy monkey via Adobe Stock

    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 07
    All the animals have food afaik, but the smell is unbearable and this cannot be sanitary. You can't move without stepping on a cat. Who do I call? The police? I'd prefer if
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  • 08
    there was a way to resolve this without her getting charged for animal cruelty, she's just a harmless old lady who is suffering from dementia.
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  • 09
    Next morning edit- please don't pm me with offers of help, I want to remain anonymous, I do not want the media to show up or anything. Thank you.
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  • 10
    If I call animal control, or the cops, will they take the animals away? They'll take the cats right? I feel as though I am being redundant here but I cannot stress
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  • 11
    enough that I am literally swimming in cats. What is the penalty for such a charge likely to be? They wouldn't put her in jail, would they? If they're just going to fine her, or
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  • It is hard to say who we feel more sorry for here. The mother who out of loneliness has way over done it with the feline comfort, the child who turned up to find their mother deluded and living like the crazy cat lady from the Simpsons, or the cats and birds who are likely living in squalid conditions.

  • 12
    something along those lines, it's fine. After seeing the state of the house I'm going to either get her some kind of care or attempt to bring her to me-- she's clearly not capable of living on her own anymore.
    via CatThrowaway998
  • 13
    I will take her to be evaluated asap. She fails to understand my problem with the situation, and I am... more than a little frustrated by the fact that after over 24 hours I am still seeing new cats that I have not previously noticed.
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  • 14
    The damage is ridiculous. The banister is about to collapse from being clawed/chewed, the living room carpet smells as though it has been drenched in cat pee, it seems as though the basement has been
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  • 15
    used as a giant litter box for a long time. The bird bedroom is covered in droppings, feathers, and some kind of wood chips that seem to have been thrown in as an afterthought.
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  • 16
    a red lit room full of garbage
    via mindscapephotos via Adobe Stock

    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 17
    Update post Animal control and the police were called, and it took them until today to get here. Over the weekend I took my mother to a hotel, and she said she was happy that I cleaned
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  • 18
    up for some mother- daughter time. She also thanked me for getting her a new bed. She couldn't comprehend that we weren't in her house. Animal control, with a lot of help confiscated all the cats except two, and
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  • 19
    all of the birds. For those debating it, no it was not a swan, but a young duck. I should probably have known, but I wasn't going to take a second peek into that room. The total cat count was 213, and the total bird
    via CatThrowaway998
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    Cheezburger Image 10559574784
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    Cheezburger Image 10559575040
    via CatThrowaway998

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situation hoarders mother swimming visit extreme old age force Cats home reddit story cat story
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