WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – A Central Florida woman wants her pet-sitting nightmare to serve as a warning to others.

Wendy Rocco said the pet sitter she and her husband hired to look after their special-needs cat partied at their Winter Springs home with strangers and lost their beloved senior feline.

At 22 pounds, Brutus barged into Rocco’s life 14 years ago. He shed a few pounds (along with his rescue name) and quickly became Ozzy, a well-loved member of the Rocco household.

“Sweet… I couldn’t say enough,” Rocco said. “He was just an incredible, incredible addition to our family.”

Ozzy has not been seen since mid-February when Rocco and her husband hired a pet sitter while they went on vacation. The woman, who FOX 35 News is not naming, advertises on popular pet-sitting platforms.

“She offered for me not to go through Rover because she would offer a discounted rate,” Rocco said.

The woman had cared for Ozzy multiple times before — all with no problems. This time was different. Rocco said she became on edge when she did not receive updates or photos, so she checked in.

“I got a text back saying, ‘Oh my God, no. I cannot find Ozzy anywhere. I think he got out,” Rocco said.

Panicking, Rocco logged into her security system, and a chilling tale unfolded.”It was just drunk and irresponsible, and it ultimately led to my cat’s demise,” Rocco said. “It was her responsibility to make sure he was safe, and she didn’t do that.

Between 3:30 a.m. and 8 a.m., cameras caught the pet sitter at Rocco’s home with two men: strangers. Rocco’s security cameras recorded hours of the trio burping, laughing, and talking.

“The fact that they drove [to my house] drunk, in two separate cars… one specifically drove to be out of camera range, and the pet sitter actually showed [them] where the cameras were… I just find it disgusting; it’s disgusting,” Rocco said. “She had been told specifically never to bring people here. Ever. It kind of goes without saying when you’re paying a pet sitter… but we did say it.”

Rocco’s alarm system recorded multiple doors being left open for periods of 10 minutes at a time – and longer. At some point, Ozzy got out.

“I don’t know [where Ozzy is now]. I have no idea; I have no idea… but he’s here,” Rocco said, pointing to her heart. “That’s all I know.”

Diagnosed with congestive heart failure, Ozzy requires medication twice daily. Surviving 40-plus days without it wouldn’t be likely, said Rocco. She consulted Ozzy’s vet to gauge his survival. The prognosis wasn’t promising.

“Nobody should have to experience this. That is truly what I want out of this,” Rocco said. “Nobody should have to go through it.”

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Long after the pet sitter texted Rocco that Ozzy was missing, she was seen on the doorbell camera whistling for him; she was on the phone at the time, speaking with someone about her night.

“We woke up the neighbors’ kids,” she could be heard saying. “I’m so done; I am finished. ***** was a **** show; you know he was. This is beyond the pale, man. There’s no recovering from this.”

“This was not an accident; this was a choice,” said Rocco. “You chose to show up drunk, you chose to have strangers in my home, and you chose to not report him missing for god knows how many hours.”

Exhaustive efforts to find Ozzy have proven unsuccessful. Rocco even hired a professional animal tracker.

“They had two different dogs, they gave us parameter… gave us a lot of hope, set up wildlife cameras, we set out food and tried to at least capture a view of him,” Rocco said. “There’s been no sightings… it’s hard to comprehend.”

Yet, like her cracked garage door, a sliver of hope remains that Ozzy may return.

“He’s always welcome,” Rocco said. “He always has our hearts.”

According to Rocco, Ozzy is microchipped and wearing a collar with up-to-date contact information. If you’ve seen him or know anything about where he may be, email Hannah Mackenzie.

FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie reached out to Rover. According to a company representative, they are investigating the incident, but because Rocco did not book the pet sitter directly through them, there is not much they can do.

Photographs of Ozzy, which were advertised on the pet sitter’s Rover profile, have since been removed by the company. Both Rover and Rocco are urging other pet owners to use this as a cautionary tale: do not circumvent professional companies. They have insurance policies and other safety nets in place in the off chance something like this were to happen.