An Ottawa woman who allegedly let her cat grow to over 24 pounds is facing neglect charges after the Ottawa Humane Society was forced to euthanize the animal due to poor health.

According to the Chronicle Herald, Ottawa resident Guylene Roy brought her 12-year-old cat named Napoleon to see a veterinarian several times and received advice to manage and improve Napoleon's health. The Ottawa Humane Society says Roy did not follow the veterinarian's advice, resulting in Napoleon's weight ballooning to the point where he could not stand or clean himself.

When Roy's father surrendered Napoleon, the humane society noted that the cat's fur was matted with feces and his skin was covered with open sores, leading the humane society's executive director Bruce Roney to declare the case "extreme and unusual," according to the Ottawa Citizen. Napoleon's health finally deteriorated enough that the humane society had to euthanize Napoleon to put an end to his severe pain.

Roney told the newspaper his organization conducts more than a thousand investigations each year, but typically only levels charges in 12 to 24 cases yearly. Roney said the charges are reserved for the "most serious cases."

Roy is due in court on June 27 to face charges of permitting distress to an animal and failure to maintain standards of care, which fall under the province's animal cruelty law, the Chronicle Herald reported. She faces a maximum fine of $1,000 and/or 30 days in jail.