Noah Syndrome: When a Deep Love for Animals Turns Into a Disorder

More than 75 cats were found living in squalid conditions in a 50-square-metre Paris apartment this month, a discovery that has renewed attention on a little-understood mental health condition known as Noah Syndrome. The woman who kept the animals is suspected of suffering from an animal hoarding disorder in which a genuine love for animals spirals into severe neglect, according to VRT NWS.

The case has prompted Belgian psychiatrists to explain how the condition develops, who it affects, and why simply removing the animals does not solve the problem.

A Disorder Rooted in Animal Love

Noah Syndrome is a specific form of the general hoarding disorder in which people accumulate a large number of animals without being able to provide them with adequate care. “It is a special form of the ordinary hoarding disorder, in which people collect a large number of animals without being able to provide proper care,” adult psychiatrist Jozefien Wijnants of AZ Oostende told VRT’s “De wereld van Sofie” on Radio 1.

That care encompasses feeding, suitable living conditions and veterinary treatment. A defining feature is the collector’s limited insight: those affected often genuinely believe they are acting in the animals’ best interests. “They are genuinely convinced they are doing good for the animals and act precisely out of animal love,” Wijnants said. “That is hard for outsiders to understand, because a lot of animal suffering goes with it.”

According to NOS, the Paris apartment was neglected, smelled of urine, and drew long-standing complaints from neighbours about the stench. Cats were found everywhere — under the sofa, on cupboards, behind the fridge and packed into scratching posts, with an unbearable ammonia odour. Dead kittens were found in the freezer.

How Cases Stay Hidden for Years

A recurring pattern is that such situations remain undetected for a long time, allowing the number of animals to grow gradually. “Often the situation stays under the radar for years, so the number of animals can gradually increase,” Wijnants explained — frequently because the animals are not sterilised or neutered and continue to reproduce.

In the Paris case, NOS reported that the cats had not been castrated or sterilised and bred heavily. The animal welfare organisation YouCare believes dozens of kittens died in the apartment every month; only four kittens born there survived.

When the situation finally surfaces, the consequences are significant: odour and noise nuisance, poor hygiene and serious animal suffering. But there is also human suffering, because the collector needs care too.

Who Is Affected?

Contrary to a common stereotype of a lonely individual, Wijnants stresses that the disorder cuts across social boundaries. “It occurs in all socio-economic classes, at all ages, and in men and women,” she said. “There are indications it is more common among single middle-aged people, but exact figures are lacking.”

There is no single cause. “As with many psychiatric disorders, it is probably a combination of biological, psychological and social factors,” Wijnants said. People with poorer impulse control may acquire or rescue animals more quickly without fully grasping the consequences, while major life events — the loss of a loved one, unemployment or financial problems — can also play a role.

Clinical psychologist and behavioural therapist Tine Daeseleire, speaking to VRT after a separate case in 2024, described the condition as a variant of hoarding rooted in emotional distress. “It always arises from emotional distress: wanting to keep something of someone dear to you, being unable to throw something away,” she said. “It can equally be about a commitment to animals, wanting to protect them and not let them live on the street.”

Daeseleire added that people who are normally very orderly can lose their ability to keep things organised. “They lose themselves.”

Three Types of Collectors

Research distinguishes three subtypes of animal collectors, each requiring a different approach:

The first is the “overwhelmed caregiver” — someone who gradually slips into the situation. “They start with a small number of animals, but conditions deteriorate step by step, until eventually they can no longer care for the animals,” Wijnants said. This group often retains some insight, making it easier to seek a solution together.

The second are the “rescuers,” who believe they must save animals and that no one else can. “They actively look for new animals, even when they already have very many,” Wijnants said — for instance, animals at risk of being slaughtered.

The third is the “exploiter,” who shows signs of little empathy for people or animals. Negotiating with this group is often more difficult, and imposing measures may be necessary.

A Treatment Gap and High Relapse Risk

Seizing animals is sometimes necessary to prevent further suffering, but it does not resolve the underlying problem. “Taking just the animals away does not solve the problem,” Wijnants said. Relapse risk is high: when animals are seized, some people start collecting again because the urge persists.

No specific treatment for animal hoarding disorder currently exists, because the phenomenon remains insufficiently researched. Wijnants advocates a better-coordinated approach involving police, fire brigade, housing services and social services, alongside psychiatric evaluation and psychological support for the collector.

Daeseleire described recovery as a form of learning to grieve: “How do I create distance, how do I say goodbye?”

What Bystanders Can Do

For anyone who suspects a neighbour may be hoarding animals, Wijnants advises first trying to make contact in a humane way. “As a psychiatrist I always advocate humaneness,” she said. “Approaching someone accusingly is probably not the right way.”

At the same time, animal suffering should not be allowed to continue. Suspected animal suffering can be reported to the competent services, and social services such as Belgium’s OCMW can be involved to seek a solution together with the person concerned.

What to Watch

The Paris case, first reported by French daily Le Parisien and confirmed by VRT and NOS, has been publicised by YouCare, which has filed a complaint for animal abuse. The tenant denies the accusation and has said he wants the animals back; no court ruling has yet been reported. YouCare has been rescuing cats since 10 September, with around 45 rescued and about 30 still being fed daily by volunteers because the organisation has run out of capacity. A fundraising campaign to cover treatment and shelter costs of roughly 500 euros per cat has reached its 21,000-euro target.

The case echoes a similar one in Nice, where a couple kept 159 cats and 7 dogs in a 70-square-metre apartment. In April 2024, a court handed them a one-year suspended prison sentence, a lifelong ban on keeping animals and about 100,000 euros in damages to animal organisations, as VRT reported.

For now, experts say the priority is a coordinated response that treats the collector as well as the animals — a reminder that Noah Syndrome is, at its core, a human welfare issue as much as an animal one.