Calgary police have charged a man with 18 animal cruelty charges.

In a news release issued Tuesday, the service said it was alerted to concerns about the welfare of two cats at the end of November 2018.

"Detectives began investigating and identified a total of six cats which were believed to have suffered injuries consistent with animal abuse," reads the release.

"As a result of their injuries, two of the cats were humanely euthanized prior to the investigation being initiated."

Details are sparse at this time, but police said they charged Cole Ehbrecht, 19, on June 5.

Access to cats

Police said it's believed he owned or had access to the cats between December 2017 and November 2018.

"We rely on information from the public as well as outside agencies so that we can intervene and protect animals suffering abuse," said Det. Shawna Baldwin of the Calgary Police Service in the news release.

"We continue to work extremely closely with our partners at The Calgary Humane Society to ensure that all animals are protected."

Ebrecht will appear in court on June 19.