What is Noah's Syndrome? French woman found living with 104 cats, banned from owning pets for next 3 years

A woman in Paris has been convicted after authorities discovered her living with 104 cats in a tiny apartment. According to Brut America, the French woman was living in a 650-square-foot apartment under severely unsanitary conditions, as described by the officials.

Woman who lived with 104 cats in Paris

Reportedly, t the woman's apartment was described as uninhabitable, with overwhelming filth and an unbearable stench.

Talking about the incident, animal protection organisation YouCare said that a court had sentenced the woman on 6 February.

Meanwhile, it is not known how the case came to light. It has likely surfaced following concerns about the welfare of the animals, which were found crammed into the small space under the care of the woman.

YouCare shares update

A court subsequently fined her €4,530 (around $4,900 or ₹4,20,000) and imposed a three-year ban on owning pets in the future.

The news has gained mixed reactions from netizens. YouCare posted in French, “Last Friday, the YouCare Black Team won the case against an individual who was keeping 104 cats in an unsanitary apartment. I have taken part in many difficult rescue operations, but never on such a scale. The smell and the chaos were indescribable. As soon as we arrived, we were confronted with absolute horror: one cat had died, its head trapped in the boiler mechanism, hanging beneath the machinery.”

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“The owner was sentenced to a €4,530 fine and banned from owning animals… for only three years. Although this is the maximum penalty provided by law for the offences retained, it remains incomprehensible. How can it be acceptable for someone who allowed more than 100 animals to suffer to be permitted to own animals again in just three years? This case highlights how human distress often leads to severe animal abuse. Individuals with such profiles should be required to undergo medical and psychological treatment, which unfortunately is not currently mandatory,” the post ended.

According to authorities, the woman is believed to have been suffering from Diogenes syndrome and Noah’s syndrome, conditions often linked to compulsive animal hoarding.

The case has drawn attention to the psychological factors behind animal hoarding, aka Noah’s syndrome and the serious risks it poses to both human and animal.

What is Noah’s syndrome

Noah’s syndrome is a psychological need to save animals, even when one is incapable of doing so.

According to research in the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed website, Noah syndrome is described as "a variant of Diogenes syndrome that presents as hoarding a large number of animals."

What can cause Noah’s syndrome

Psychosocial stress and loneliness are considered key predisposing factors in the development of this disorder.

At the same time, underlying medical conditions in the individual may also play an important role, as they can provide the organic foundation that contributes to the onset of this psychopathology.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.