Here's the thing. I am NOT joking around. I am dead serious. My mother's mother was a depression era hoarder. When she and my grandfather passed away, it took two giant construction dumpsters to clean out their apartment. They had saved every paper bag, newspaper, rubberband, you name it, they SAVED it. Why, because there was no such thing as recycling back then, and the stuff they kept MIGHT be useful *someday.*Originally Posted by Beckiboo
I know you are just joking around, and I hate to be a wet blanket. But the reality is that it is likely that we have some hoarders posting here.
If I say "yes!" then I should take my own advice and seek some myself! LOLOriginally Posted by GingersMom
Do you think I need professional help?
I have said the same thing to friends: "If I get old and slip a cog, I could end up the crazy cat lady living in a pile ofOriginally Posted by GingersMom
I know that IF I LET IT, that could be me. If I lose the cognative ability to recognize what is healthy and ok and what is NOT healthy, THAT COULD BE ME.
I joked when I made up my list. You can't walk into my home without realizing that I have animals in it. Evidence is everywhere in the form of toys, beds and cat trees, oh yeah, then the dogs and cats that greet you at the door. But other than my long list, I don't pack rat anything else.Originally Posted by GingersMom
One thing that a couple of you have stated: hoarders are intelligent people. This is SO true. It is one of the reasons why most folks can't understand how someone can let it get so out of control. But people like me, and Shopcat and others CAN understand how easily that can happen. Which is why we must pay attention and make effort to make sure that never happens to us.
Originally Posted by GingersMom
But...I am a hoarder. I can't help it. Right now, I have enough dry cat food and enough wet cat food to last a MINIMUM of three months for each cat.
But my fridge is empty except for condiments, and I have nothing in my cabinets, save for dried pasta, that is fit for human consumption.
It's definitely a sickness. I think I would hoard cat litter, too, if the packages weren't SO heavy.
Oh - and them there are the cat toys. I have more than 150 furry mice in the house, and scores of catnip toys, dozens of wands, at least three laser pointers...
Do you think I need professional help?
Originally Posted by Momofmany
I too am a hoarder.
I have 13 cats and 2 dogs
I have 600 pounds of litter sitting in my basement closet
I have 2 pantry drawers stocked with canned cat food
I have 2 large bins of dry cat food
I have 2 large bins of dog food
I have an entire pantry drawer full of treats
Originally Posted by Natalie_ca
I too have dozens of cans of cat food and enough dry food for about 6 months! Plus I have cat litter for about 3 months, and while I have some frozen dinners left that I have made, my fridge is pretty bare except for milk condiments, egg whites and some tomatoes, LOL
Where do you make such big purchases? Surely not at a store, I doubt they keep that much in stock.Originally Posted by jcat
I just bought 576 cans of cat food, plus another 3 kg. of dry, for one cat! Let's see, that should be enough canned food for one year, seven months, since he only eats one can a day.
I'm probably familiar with just about every online supplier in Germany. I live in a small town, where there's basically no selection of cat food, and have an 8 1/2 -year-old cat with food allergies. Thus, I started ordering online. I volunteer at the local cat home, where some of the cats have food allergies, too, so I started ordering for them. I've gradually added friends', neighbors' and colleagues' cats, so I get free shipping and quantity discounts from just about all the suppliers, plus lots of free samples and cat toys! I often get free bags of cat litter, too.Originally Posted by strange_wings
Where do you make such big purchases? Surely not at a store, I doubt they keep that much in stock.
And what happens if your cat decides he no longer likes that brand or flavor? Mine would do that to me if I tried to stock up on cans.
It sounds to me as if you are in a very good state of mind about things. With you already realizing that you have a propensity to gather things, and with your SO to help you along, I believe you'll be fineOriginally Posted by dorabella's mom
I don't know what I am. I guess I am a hoarder and without the intervention of my SO, who I am just now realizing loves me and is not trying to ruin my world, I realize I need his guidance.