MUMMIFIED cats were found by cleaners who were sent to clean a house stuffed to the rafters.
In fact, the Lancashire house was so cluttered cleaners needed a ladder to climb through a second-storey window to reach the upper floor.
Blanchards/Triangle NewsAnalysis revealed the man had been hoarding for close to 40 years[/caption]
Blanchards/Triangle NewsSeveral mummified cats were found among the man’s rubbish[/caption]
Among the rotting debris, cleaners found the bodies of up to four of the owner’s pet cats, which had been placed on shelves and wrapped in newspaper.
The teams were tasked with clearing the home in February after the homeowner, a man in his 70s, had died.
An heir-hunting company – Kent-based Blanchards – was tasked with hunting down any of the man’s relatives.
It took cleaners 45 hours to clean the house from all the rubbish, in a “worst-case” of hoarding they had ever seen, using dozens of skips.
The only space in the house was an armchair next to the cats, where the man spent all of his time.
Much of the house was jam-packed full of old phone equipment as the man wanted start a phone exchange business, which is where the hoarding began in the 1990s.
“Over the years he collected mounds of telecom technology. He began storing these telecom artifacts in containers.
“Then, when they were full he began filling under the floorboards,” a Blanchards spokesperson said.
The man had a hoarding disorder after analysis of the trash revealed he had been unable to throw anything away for upwards of three decades.
Sufferers of hoarding disorder go about their lives, living in limited space and health-crushing conditions, which can see vermin and bacteria thrive.
While it has become more widely known about through reality TV shows, hoarding is actually a recognised mental health condition.
It receives less attention than mental health issues as sufferers are often embarrassed of their surroundings and can keep the extent of the issue quiet.
No-one knows exactly what causes the disorder but it has been linked to trauma and loss, difficult feelings, childhood experiences and a family history of the condition.
According to mental health charity Mind: “Many of us have belongings we consider special and things we save. But this is different from hoarding.
“When you hoard, it’s because you might have emotional connections or beliefs about all your things.
“This makes it very hard to get rid of anything.”
The Blanchards spokesperson described the case as “heartbreaking.”
“It was one of our saddest and most memorable cases.
“I have cleared hundreds of properties and never have I seen hoarding be so bad that I have had to climb a ladder and enter through the upstairs window as all other entrances were blocked,” they said.
Eventually, heirs for the man were found – second cousins twice removed who did not know him.
Blanchards/Triangle NewsCleaners had to use a ladder to reach the second floor as the stairs were blocked[/caption]
Blanchards/Triangle NewsThe cats were found next to the man’s chair, the only place in the house with any space to move[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
