A familiar, furry face that has patrolled the Halifax Waterfront for the past 14 years is now safe at home.

Erik the Red is known to head out on daily adventures, but he always returns home for dinner. However, he was reported missing after he failed to return home on Sunday.

“He’s never really gone missing, he’s been catnapped before, which partly leads me to the conclusion maybe that’s the case this time as well,” said his owner, Steve Read, on Tuesday.

The 16-year-old cat works for the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic as CSS Acadia’s rodent control officer. He works alongside Read, who oversees the upkeep of CSS Acadia.

For vendors and people who frequent the waterfront, Erik has become as iconic as the city’s two bridges or Theodore Tugboat.

One Maritime Museum of the Atlantic employee said she was so upset that she burst into tears when she learned Erik had disappeared.

“He’s just as much a part of the waterfront as the boardwalk essentially,” says vendor Chris Tamasi. “He’s down here as much as anybody else. He’s always around, everybody knows who Erik is.”

“He kind of embodies some of that Halifax spirit because he kind of looks like an old pirate,” says vendor Jenna Herdman. “He has like, his multi-coloured eyes and his stiff legs and he would kind of waddle around and meow at people.”

Read had expressed concerns about Erik’s health, as he requires medication.

“If he goes without it a couple more days, he’s going to start to get weak, he’s going to lose his appetite, and he could get very ill,” he said Tuesday afternoon.

Read handed out more than 500 flyers in hopes of finding the cat and he also made appeals on social media sites.

Thankfully, Erik was found safe and sound Tuesday evening. It appears a neighbour thought he was a stray and took him in.

Officials say Erik is doing well and is back on duty.