Ozzy the cat returns after going missing from his Cambridge home

Emotional reunion as Ozzy the cat returns After over a week of frantic canvassing by his pet parents, Ozzy is now safe at home. Heather Senoran reports.

It’s a happy ending for a Cambridge couple who recently spoke to CTV News about losing their beloved cat.

Ozzy, a two-year-old Bengal, has returned home after going missing on May 22.

His owners, Amanda Casella and Brandon Duxbury, initially put up posters in their neighbourhood and asked for help finding Ozzy in social media groups.

The couple told CTV News on May 30 that someone had messaged them, claiming to have found Ozzy and demanding a cash reward.

“We said we’d give him a reward if can give us proof that he does have our cat,” said Casella on May 30. “He still wouldn’t. It was really sad and heartbreaking because we got our hopes up.”

“I was pretty disappointed that a human could do that to somebody that is grieving their missing pet,” added Duxbury. “I just felt sick to my stomach.”

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The couple also worried about Ozzy’s well-being as he has a heart condition and requires medicine.

Two days after speaking with CTV News, Casella and Duxbury learned he had been spotted in their neighbourhood.

“I fell to my knees,” said Duxbury. “Almost cried.”

“I just heard his meow and I was like, I know that’s our cat,” said Casella.

Lucie Comeau was one of the neighbours who helped bring Ozzy home.

“I saw the [social media] post first and that’s the reason why I started leaving cat food out,” she said.

But Casella had a hard time catching him.

“He was in the backyard,” she said. “He was just running away from me because he was so scared.”

A volunteer group, named Cat’s Meow, then set up a high-tech trap.

“I turn on my phone, I see the target cat is in the trap and I hit a button on my phone and the trap drops,” David Stodulka said.

He shared that video with CTV News.

Casella and Duxbury couldn’t believe how closed Ozzy stayed to their home.

“He was only 150 metres away from our place,” said Casella. “At first I don’t know if he recognized us because he was so scared of being in the trap, but as soon as [Stodulka] brought him into the house he was like: ‘Oh my gosh, I am home now.’”

The couple said they’ll be keeping a close eye on Ozzy from now on.

“We do not want this to happen again,” said Casella. “It was very sad for us.”

Ozzy has been in good spirits since returning home, despite a small wound on his head and losing some weight.

“He wanted all the cuddles he could get,” Casella said.

-- With reporting by Heather Senoran