A gruesome discovery was made inside a Pasco County home that’s headed for foreclosure.
A cleaning crew discovered more than 40 dead cats at a vacant home in Hudson.
Neighbor Beverly Serrio, who lives across the street from the house, says the now deceased owner never took good care of the property and after she passed things got worse due to the number of cats she left behind.
“It smells like cat urine and it’s vile,” said Serrio.
The smell is even more potent for Maria Martinez who lives right next door.
“I have my windows closed because I can’t open the window because of the smell,” said Martinez. “I get flees and I get snakes and I get everything you can think of."
Martinez says it’s all because of the several dead cats inside that have been there for months. Just recently, she buried four cats she found dead in the back yard of the vacant home.
“It’s too nasty in there," said Martinez.
The house now sits in foreclosure and animal control says it can’t get inside to remove the dead cats. The county says it can’t condemn the house for just having a bad odor.
The strong odor is trapping Martinez in her home of 11 years.
“I feel like selling the house and moving out but I can’t, how am I going to sell the house?” said Martinez.
For now and until the bank cleans the infested home, Martinez relies on her wooden fence, constantly fumigating her backyard and staying inside with her dogs.
According to county records, complaints have come in over the last two years. Five for overgrowth, one for trash, and one for the cats.
Last summer, code enforcement went to the house but couldn't make contact with the owner so workers couldn't go in.
Then this February animal control workers went back out and posted a notice. There were four follow up visits in March.
As of this month, Wells Fargo still hasn't wrapped up the foreclosure and legally taken possession.