Since being discovered in his backyard with a crossbow bolt sticking out of his neck, a Langford area feline has become something of an Internet celebrity.

After his plight was covered by the media, pictures of Ozzy the tomcat have gone viral on the social news site Reddit, where users were quick to dub him “the world’s toughest cat.”

“This cat is a badass,” said one Reddit user, while another warned “brace yourselves… [the] toughest cat memes are coming.”

Ozzy’s picture, replete with crossbow bolt, has also become popular on QuickMeme, a site that lets users add their own captions to popular pictures.

Donna La Rose, Ozzy’s owner, discovered the injured cat in her backyard on Oct. 5. When she noticed the bolt in his neck, she says she began screaming for her husband, Ron.

Together, the Jacklin Road couple got Ozzy back into the house, phoned the RCMP and rushed the cat to the Belmont-Langford Veterinary Hospital.

“Our vet had never seen anything like this before,” said La Rose.

A $600 vet bill later, Ozzy is back at home and recovering from surgery.

“He’s doing very well,” said La Rose. “He just wants to get these bandages off and go back outside.”

As for Ozzy’s fleeting online fame, La Rose says the 11-year-old cat could care less.

“He would wonder what all this fuss is all about it,” she said. “He wouldn’t want the fame and attention, he just wants to be himself.”

West Shore RCMP are asking anyone with information about Ozzy to contact them at 250-474-2264.