HOARDING HELL

Some collect animals, others collect stuff - even if it's unsafe or unsanitary - and there's no easy fix. Experts advise how you can help a hoarder

- KIM ABRAHAMS

SHE has dogs, pigs, chickens, goldfish, horses, cats, a llama, a raven, and a turtle. Her 99 pets share a home with her, her husband, their two daughters, and her 70-year-old mom and for Shana this is entirely normal.

Her husband, Jeff, had to have the carpets in their home removed and her mom, Noelie, needs a machine to breathe in this house filled with animals.

But Shana doesn't mind the puddles of pee, the constant flies, the scratches on the walls, and the animal hair clinging to every available surface. "You can't be an animal lover with just one type of animal,' she says defiantly.

She's not the only one who has more than a handful of animals. There's Robin, who says she cares more about her 21 pets than she does her husband. And Peter, who kept more than 150 chickens in his home, spending up to four hours a day feeding them.

Confessions: Animal Hoarding recently started showing on DStv's channel 170 and Shana, Robin and Peter are just some of the people featured in the show. It's again put the spotlight on people who obsessively collect things - and experts say it's not just a personality quirk.

Hoarding is a psychological disorder so it's not a problem that can be fixed with a quick clean-up, says clinical psychologist Daniel Rabinowitz.

Hoarders will become incredibly upset at the thought of getting rid of items, says Tamara Sosa, a clinical psychologist based in Cape Town. "This leads to excessive accumulation"

SEEKING HELP

It's time to get help when someone feels awkward about their living space. "If they're uncomfortable at the idea of others seeing their home, yet the thought of getting rid of their possessions creates distress, then they should seek help," says Cape Town clinical psychologist Sumayyah Khan.