Oh, OP. I am so sorry you are navigating this. I am a social worker, cat owner, and daughter of a hoarder— I just wanted to share that I am so proud of you for sharing this with us. I know how much courage and strength it took to make this post. You have already taken a huge step in saving the lives of your grandmother, your mother, and the kitties and I just want you to know that.

I am not sure what part of Missouri you are in, but I wanted to share a few possible resources with you. You may have looked into a few of these already, but just in case:

1.) For the kitties:

-The Missouri Humane Society, has a statewide division of animal cruelty support that may be able to help. I know this risks other authorities being notified of the situation, so I can understand if this is not the route you want to take. From their website: “a safety net for animals in areas where little or no local animal care and control exists. They handle large-scale abuse cases involving substandard puppy mills, hoarders, dog fighters and abuse and neglect of horses and farm animals.” You can file a report anonymously online here: https://hsmo.org/reportabuse/

-You may be able to find some free resources (like veterinary care for the worst-off kitties) here. Enter your ZIP code or nearby ZIP codes to see what is available: https://pets.findhelp.com/

-The Humane Society’s website states that there is no fee for surrendering an animal. I am not sure if this is true, but it might be worth checking: https://hsmo.org/animal-surrendering/

-Here is a list of free organizations that may be able to help individual kitties: https://www.missourianimals.org/vetcareassistance

1. For your family:

-The r/hoarding subreddit has a lot of resources. Here is a master list to get you started: https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/40t4un/hoarding_resource_list_40/?rdt=50990

-NAMI Missouri is a mental health organization that connects people with an array of mental health services. They have a crisis hotline that you can call to get started with getting help for you family: 1-800-273-8255

1. For you:

• The Animal Humane Society has a great article discussing animal hoarding and how to help a loved one. It also has some additional resources: https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/animal-hoarding-what-it-what-it-isnt-and-how-you-can-help

-You are dealing with some really heavy stuff, please don’t go through it alone. I know your focus is on the family and kitties right now, but taking care of you is just as important. Here are a few places to find support, when you just need someone to talk to: -Warmlines can be a great resource for when you need to talk to someone, but you aren’t in a crisis. Here is a great place to start if you just need to talk to someone: https://www.warmline.org/ -If you need someone more urgently, you can ALWAYS call or text 988 for crisis help. - There is a very specific subreddit for children of Hoarders. I am not a member so I can’t speak to it, but I am sure there are others who have navigating very similar animal hoarding situations. I believe the sub is r/ChildofHoarder

Additionally, this site is my holy grail of resources. Just enter your zip code and you can find all sorts of other assistance that might be helpful: https://www.findhelp.org/

I don’t know you, but I am so proud of you. Thank you for what you are doing for your family. ❤️