After a video of a cat trapped in a cage outdoors in the heat, seemingly without food or water, was posted online, a social media storm raged.
A Barrie family suspects it may be their pet, and the community has rallied behind them with outrage.
Devon Miller says her cat, Tuscan, got out of their home on Tuesday morning. She said when she returned home that evening, a neighbour told her Tuscan had been trapped in a cage on a nearby property.
Miller says she visited the residence where her cat was supposedly trapped and says the homeowner admitted to caging her cat and then says she told her she drove it a few kilometres away. Miller claims the woman told her she released the cat along Highway 90 in Springwater.
"My fear is that I'll never see him again," Miller says. "We've been up and down Dunlop Street. We've been up and down Highway 27. We've knocked on doors. We got a lead he may have made it all the way to Angus."
Many took to social media to accuse one woman who they say is responsible.
"Seeing the photos and the video, and knowing that that was the last thing he experienced is really difficult to deal with," Miller says. "My fear is the worst, but I'm trying to stay hopeful."
CTV News spoke with the woman accused of trapping the cat. She responded that she had been attacked on social media and said she was even threatened. She says she is a good, honest, law-abiding person. When asked to respond to the accusations, she replied that she would only speak with a lawyer present.
Barrie police, and bylaw officers are looking into the online accusations.
