ORINDA (KRON) — More than 50 cats are living in the backyard of a home in Orinda.

This is according to Contra Costa Animal Services and neighbors say the stench is unbearable.

Animal services officials say the homeowner has 30 days to reduce the cat population on her property or risk going to court.

Fifty cats are living just beyond Deidre Neal’s property line in Orinda

“It’s irritating. It’s a public nuisance. It’s bad,” Neal said.

Neighbors describe the smell outside their homes — homes they say they no longer invite friends or family over to and no longer host parties at because of the stench

“I have a hot tub in my backyard which I can’t enjoy because of the smell. We can’t open our windows. We can’t enjoy our backyards,” Neal said.

Andrew Michaux and his wife moved to Orinda less than a year ago —  excited to raise their newborn baby in a home with a yard.

But they’re moving when their lease is up this winter, unable to enjoy their home because the smell of the cats just beyond their fence line is out of control.

“When it’s really hot it’s unbearable in the evenings, that’s when it gets really intense, at night,” Michaux said.

Contra Costa County Animal Services says they are investigating three  animal hoarding case in the county. 

They said they’ve been to this property a number of times over the past year and a half  as recent as last week.

The homeowner had more than 50 cats on her property and they told her she has 30 days to reduce the population of cats in her backyard to a reasonable number or she’ll be cited.

“They look desperate for attention,” Neal said “Also I mean it’s really sad the way she’s treating these cats and not adopting them out.”

Michaux agrees.

“No animal deserves to be caged and if I’m this close and it smells this way for us, I feel for the rest of the animals,” he said.

Animal Services says most of these cats are feral and not socialized and are not candidates for adoption.