A familiar furry face has patrolled the Halifax Waterfront for the past 14 years, but now Erik the Red has been reported missing, and his owner is desperate to find him.

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

Read says Erik has been spending the last few weeks on leave, vacationing with a friend on Livingstone Street.

Erik is known to head out on daily adventures, but he always returns home for dinner. However, he hasn’t been seen since 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,” says Read.

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 says she was so upset that she burst into tears when 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.”

Some fear Erik’s nine lives may have expired, but Read has not given up hope.

“If he were injured, he has a tag, we would have received a call,” says Read. “My sense is that somebody may have just found him too cute for his own good.”

Read says finding Erik soon is crucial, as he has now gone three days without his 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.”

Over the last two days, Read has handed out more than 500 flyers in hopes of finding the cat. He has had a few leads, but Erik has yet to turn up.

“If you are aware of his whereabouts, whether you know someone who has him or not, whatever the case, contact the information number,” says Read.

Erik’s emergency contact information is on his tag. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Matt Woodman