Noah syndrome: when animals accumulate

Noah syndrome, also called animal hoarding, describes a person who takes in more animals than they can feed, care for and house properly. Most often, the person is convinced they are helping these animals.

This behaviour is considered a particular form of hoarding. It affects isolated people, sometimes after a bereavement, and is frequently associated with neglect of the home.

A home under pressure

Many animals in a closed space have rapid consequences:

• urine and droppings soaking into floors, walls and furniture;
• persistent ammonia smells, which can irritate the eyes and airways;
• parasites, fleas and mites;
• floor coverings and skirting boards that sometimes need replacing.

Animals first

Before any cleaning, the animals' situation must be resolved. Depending on the case, this involves a vet, a shelter or the region's animal welfare services. That is not our trade, and we only step in once the animals have been taken care of.

Restoration

Once the home has been freed up, the work covers waste removal, deep cleaning, disinfection and odour treatment. Materials that are too heavily soaked cannot always be saved: we tell you clearly in the quote, so you can plan the work that follows.

As with Diogenes syndrome, supporting the person after the intervention matters as much as the cleaning itself.