I watched this last night. They seem to keep ramping up the horror and the hopelessness of these people with every episode. Frankly, I can't see how this guy's house is savable; they had to smash out the bottom of every interior wall, and even then they probably didn't get them all. They had eaten the mattresses and recliners down to the metal frames. Just horrifying; there are sick and wounded rats all over the place. They showed one whose intestines were hanging out of the hole where his scrotum was before it was bitten off, still alive. The other woman, with "only" 40 or 50 cats, was even worse off mentally; she ended up sending them away, even though she was going to be evicted and all her animals confiscated. Her house was a huge litterbox, and completely filled to the ceiling with shit and garbage. Dead animals everywhere. I feel sorry for them, and even sorrier for their neighbors.

Animal hoarding is horrifying, because of the toll it takes on the animals, the horrendous living conditions for both humans and animals, and what the people who come in to help have to go through.

I was a borderline animal hoarder myself for many years. In my case, it was a subconscious attempt to prevent myself from suiciding. I couldn't die with all those critters depending on me.

I always kept all mine alive and fed and unharmed: I never got to anything like the level of the people you see on TV, but I was heading in that direction. I never did anything but animal care when I was home: there wasn't time for anything else, and there's no way I'd have ever had any kind of a social life in my menagerie.

I got better. But it took a long time.

I wish there was a way for us non-cable folks to watch this.

@2 oh, Geni. that's terrible. I'm sorry. Glad you're among the living today.

Whenever I see this show and the incredibly tangled and difficult situations in it, I think of the people who say stuff like "we just need more efficiency in government" and "social services are just handouts for lazy people". Government employees are frequently in attendance on this show -- cops, animal welfare officers, child welfare officers, health department -- and there are no easy answers. When the guy down the block has 2500 rats eating his walls, it's EVERYBODY'S problem.

@3,

A&E has the last two episodes online, which is the only way I watch them since I am also cable-less.

The woman in the episode before this one was extremely unsympathetic. Many animal hoarders have a misguided sense of duty to their animals; they think they're saving the animals, and of course they love them and don't want to let them go. But Hanna was just a fucking sociopath. She didn't give the slightest shit about the animals' welfare and was borderline violent to boot. It's easy to believe her kids' claims of abuse.

@5, was Hanna the chicken lady? I couldn't watch all of that one. But remember that these people have a mental illness (maybe more than one).

OMG, the Benny Hillifier really can turn anything from horror to humor. Thank you, levislade!

http://bennyhillifier.com/?id=AsITgqGQgj…

@6,

I'm sure she does, but she also just seemed like a shitty person, more so than anyone else I've seen on the show to date.

That would be so cute. If it wasn't for all the poop.

A&E does a way better job with these shows than TLC. I don't watch hoarders, but I used to watch intervention fairly regularly and that show is just awesome. All the people I know who have been through rehab and recovery approve of that show.

TLC is more, "Hey, look at these freaks!".

OMG!!! I just watched the episode with Hanna and she made me sooooo maaaad. That bitch needs a good slap and a fist full if pills down her throat.