Walking into the home of an animal hoarder is a disturbing experience. Carefully making our way through Mr Huang’s kitchen with volunteers from Second Chance Animal Aid (SCAA), the sickening smell of hundreds of animals living together in close quarters quickly becomes apparent.

Mr Huang has an obsessive compulsive-like disorder known as ‘hoarding’ and, at the moment, his suburban Shanghai property is home to about 175 cats and eight dogs.

“Hoarding is a compulsion," says Lee-Anne Armstrong, foster care director at SCAA. “There’s the idea that no matter how many you have, if you keep taking animals off the streets and putting them in your home, that you’re saving them.”

"Since working with Mr Huang, SCAA has re-homed five dogs and 10 cats. Two years ago, he had more than 200 cats and 13 dogs."

The nature of the disorder makes it very difficult for hoarders to stop taking in strays, but since approaching SCAA for help in 2007 Mr Huang has managed to curb his impulses. Back then, the organisation agreed to help him only if he stopped collecting animals and allowed the sick ones already in his care to be put down to stop disease from spreading throughout the population. Since working with Mr Huang, SCAA has re-homed five dogs and 10 cats. Two years ago, he had more than 200 cats and 13 dogs.

The other part of SCAA’s work for abandoned and stray animals in Shanghai is their fostering program. Volunteer foster parents take care of abandoned cats and kittens in their homes until the animals are healthy and ready for adoption. Their foster parents then bring them along to SCAA’s monthly adoption days at O’Malley’s (42 Taojiang Lu, near Wulumuqi Lu).

At any one time SCAA has between 20 and 50 foster cats. Armstrong explains, “We also help rescuers re-home dogs. They care for the dogs in their home, they go to Paw [veterinary practice] and when we find a home for the dog, we reimburse them the cost of spade and neuter.”

But all this animal care isn’t free. The food and litter for the hoarder program costs RMB 8,100 (not including rent) per month, and the vet bills for both Mr Huang’s animals and the foster cats cost between RMB 10,000 to 15,000 a month, despite Paw's discount offered to SCAA’s animals.

To cover these costs SCAA holds various fundraising events. “In previous years we have had very successful bachelor auctions and we did that three years running,” says Armstrong. They also sell calendars (priced at RMB 80), which feature pictured and stories of the cats and dogs that have been adopted. The students at SCIS Pudong also raise about RMB 10,000 a year for SCAA by selling the calendars at their school, at events and within their community.

“This year we decided not to do the bachelor auction and just have a really nice gala,” Armstrong says about their upcoming Christmas event at the Grand Hyatt, Pudong, early next month. “We wanted to take advantage of the wonderful location, and they donated some great prizes as well.”

The Christmas gala is one of SCAA’s major fundraisers for the year. Armstrong tells us, “The biggest attraction is our grand raffle, which the Hyatt sponsors. This year they’ve donated a week in the Bali Hyatt as part of more than US$15,000 in prizes from Hyatt hotels across China and Asia!” - Keeley Downey

7pm, 8 December, Grand Hyatt, 88 Shiji Dadao, Pudong. Gala tickets RMB 400 (including one grand raffle ticket); grand raffle tickets RMB 100 each or RMB 1,000 for 15 (both are now on sale at all SCAA events and adoption days). For more information about SCAA and the Christmas gala, go to www.scaashanghai.org