Missing Cat Found Safe After Violent Home Explosion

Leo went missing after a gas leak ignited, severely injuring his owner

A cat that went missing after his owner’s Haddon Heights apartment building was reduced to rubble by a violent explosion has been found safe.

Leo, a black Maine Coon cat, and his owner Raquel Nunn were inside the three-story apartment building at 101 White Horse Pike on February 23 when a gas leak ignited.

"She loves that cat," Raquel’s sister Claudia Nunn told NBC10's Chris Cato last week. "Once we get him back I think she'll be able to fully focus on herself."

Raquel, 26, was severely burned on over 60 percent of her body – including her face. Leo was spotted at the scene as firefighters doused the blaze, but ran away during the commotion.

As Raquel recovered in the hospital, friends and family launched a search for Leo – posting missing flyers in town and online.

“Don’t stop searching, passing the word and believing. We will find Leo,” one post to the Recovery for Raquel Facebook page read.

Food was left near the property as people tried to catch Raquel’s beloved cat.

“Leo was spotted yesterday evening on the property,” Pat Kudla Frahme posted to the Facebook page Tuesday. “We are working hard to trap him. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Please continue to keep Leo in your prayers.”

Leo was finally recovered late Tuesday night with the help of a trap -- a week and a half after the explosion. He suffered paw burns and had some hair singed, but is expected to be fine, according to a post on the Recovery for Raquel Facebook page.

Dubbed “a fighter, just like his mommy,” Leo looks to be in good shape in a photo posted to the Facebook page.

As for Raquel, she remains in critical condition at Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s burn unit in Chester, Pa. Her doctor tells NBC10, Raquel faces weeks of recovery and possibly many surgeries.

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