How can i tell my mom she has way way to many animals???

Question

ok I love my mom she is my best friend and I really look up to her I don't live at home but she has my nieces and nephews come over to her home all the time

she is a animal collector I know this and I don't want to hurt her feeling

she has

10 cats

3 ferrets

5 guinea pigs

6 dogs

1 hamster

maybe more i dont know but how can i tell her in a nice way to give some up so she can be healthy she is a diabetic and has high everything

Thanks

Answer 1

Try fibbing... by saying you heard through the grapevine that her neighbors are concerned, about the cleanliness of her home (NOT that you are in any claiming it isn't clean!) but other ppl talk and add to stories.  You would HATE to see the police show up at her place for any reason, especially something over pets.

My neighbor used to call the cops on us frequently!  He'd make stuff up, as well as put his hand inside of out fenced in yard to pet the dog & then go call the cops b'cuz the dog barked at him which he told officers the dog bit him through the chainlink fence.....and 6" outside the fence is still our property, so what was he doing on my property!

And that's w/ 1 dog (bluetic-beagle)  Its a good thing he got too sick to come to his door, and then pass away b4 that dog died and we got another one {and right now I'm dog-sitting for a year for a friend}; kick me in the rear for saying that about a dead old man!

But then there is a local lady who has ALWAYS had a bunch of cats; so many that I think that's where most of the strays come from.......ppl have called the police on her for YEARS!

Most ppl know her as "THE CAT LADY"; she'll buy cat food b4 buying ppl food.....her neighbors have claimed that she eats the cat food , too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....  So thats another point you can bring up to her:  the cost of food!!!! or gas to go get that food.

Answer 2

is she caring for these animals alright? is everyone clean and happy? I have 14 cats, 6 beta fish, 2 dogs, a sparrow family that lives on my porch and am about to buy a 55 gallon aquarium for a 2' eel and a 11/2' lionfish.

so unless she isn't caring for the animals I think you should leave her alone, having lots of animals is perfectly healthy if you can care for them alright. and frankly its her house and she is a grown woman, you can tell her your concerns but it really is up to her what she is going to do.

Answer 3

Just say, Mom, I think you have too many animals.

Answer 4

i would luv ur mom!!  i luv animals...... y dnt u?!?!

Answer 5

She doesn't have any more than me. I have 3 dogs, 2 cats and 20 hamsters. My general rule is that if you have enough space, food, and money to take care of them you don't have too many. Although depending on where she lives she may have too many cats or dogs(city ordinances). She obviously likes animals, so as long as they are well cared for why not have them? After watching many episodes of Animal Cops I wouldn't call her a "collector". She only has 25 animals, most are relatively small. I mean if she has a very small house and all the cats and dogs are house pets it might be a bit crowded, depending on the size of the dogs. Also scientific studies have shown that having pets can lower your blood pressure and have other health benefits, not to mention that it is just soothing to be able to go home and have pets that are absolutely overjoyed to see you when you get there.

Answer 6

How does she care for the animals? Are they housed and fed properly? Are they kept clean? Are they spayed and neutered? Do they get daily one-on-one attention?

If so, don't be worried. Your mother is not an animal collector. However, if you answered "No" to a majority of those questions, she may be in trouble. People who hoard animals have an actual mental issue. They believe that they are doing the best they can by caring for the animals, but it quickly gets out of control and the animals (and humans) are living in unsanitary and unhealthy living conditions, and are not spayed or neutered, so reproduce over and over again.

If she is in this type of hoarding situation, it's time to take action. Just tell her flat out, "Mom, I can see that you clearly love all your animals and you're doing your best to take care of them. But it looks like you may be overwhelmed with the number of animals you're trying to keep up with now. How about if I help you find good homes for a few to help lessen the work load on you?"

Hopefully, she will let you help. If she does, I'd start by cutting the number of dogs and cats in half. That alone could really lighten up the load she's carrying. People tend to be able to take care of a larger number of small animals (ferrets, guinea pigs, hansters) easier. So don't worry about them as much at first as getting dogs and cats out the door.

Then, just slowly move the number down to what you think is a reasonable number for her to care for.

If she won't listen to you, get help from the SPCA or a local animal organization. They can come take some of the animals from her, and hopefully she'll get the idea that it is a serious problem.

Answer 7

To be honest,

That is not much.

Some people have WAY WAY WAY more pets.

She'll get rid of them in her own time.

She probably finds all these pets comfort her when she's alone.

She'll live a longer happier life if she keeps them all. Maybe get rid of the rodents though (Guinea Pigs, Hamster and ferrets)

and suggest she get rid of maybe 3 dogs.

But cats are easy to look after, so 10 kitties is fine. xD

Answer 8

This sort of thing is a regular occurrence for humane society staff.  I'd start by contacting your local HSUS or ASPCA for advice.  Explain the situation to them and see what you can do.  If anything, they might go for a visit to your mother's house to make sure the animals, and your mother, are in good health.  They may be willing to provide assistance to her in placing some of the animals or just provide support to her in other ways (free food, reduced vet fees, etc.).

Your mother may have everything under control and not need assistance - be prepared to accept that your mom is an active animal lover who has lots of healthy, well-cared for pets.