The 68-year-old woman is said to have repeatedly fed Leo, who lived in the same building as her, over a 10-month period.

Despite her neighbour’s requests for her to stop feeding the pet cat, the pensioner not only continued to defy her wishes but even installed a cat flap on her door so that Leo could enter as he pleased.

The constant feeding and ease of entry meant that Leo ended up abandoning his rightful owner, instead favouring the old woman.

The woman is facing charges of “systemic feeding” - a criminal offence in Switzerland.

While it sounds light-hearted, cases like this are increasingly landing in court, with many pet owners reporting “feeders” for interfering with their cats.

Under Swiss law, cats are “other people’s property”, and giving a pet that is not yours a home is considered unlawful appropriation.