CITRUS HEIGHTS (CBS13) – Neighbors in a Citrus Heights neighborhood are relieved after demolition has finally begun on what police are calling a hoarder house.

Officers say the home on the corner of Spicer Drive and San Juan Avenue was filled with so many cats and garbage they had trouble conducting an inspection. They say the home was not structurally safe and don’t believe it has been maintained in years.

Neighbors say the home was condemned 12 years ago and has been an eyesore for two decades. It was a source of a terrible odor that could be smelled several houses away. They called it a feral cat haven, saying the owner has continued to feed and house feral cats.

“None of us have been able to have a picnic outside or anything like that because of the odor,” said Sharron Mester, who lives next door to the home. “And then with the standing water, there’s always a lot of flies. And there was a safety issue.”

On December 18, a judge ordered the house be torn down.

Neighbors have a table out front of the house where they’re serving donuts and coffee. They say it isn’t a celebration, but are just relieved the home is coming down.

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