A beloved Manhattan shopcat met a gruesome end this week, sending his owners and fans reeling.
The tributes are pawing in for Archie, a 17-month-old black and white tabby named for the toddler son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who reigned over West Village institution Myers of Keswick on Hudson Street amid a depressing pandemic.
Archie died Wednesday, just hours after he was attacked by two pitbulls outside the venerable British grocery known for its famous banger sausages and homemade pork pies.
“It’s awful. … He literally sat right by our door, minding his own business,” shop owner Jennifer Myers-Pulidore, 43, told The Post.
The “uncooperative” dog owner “did not have control” of the leashed pitbulls, she said, adding, “They just went at him and the owner couldn’t hold them back.”
Archie, who weighed a little less than eight pounds, went into cardiac arrest while being treated at the vet for internal injuries, Myers-Pulidore explained.
The store posted news of the disturbing death on its Instagram, telling customers, “We raced him to the vet, but despite their heroic efforts, his wee heart did not hold up.”
The shocking news was met with loving condolences from customers and community.
“Oh my God I can’t take it. I’m so upset I’m so sorry I can’t imagine how you must be feeling. We all loved him so much,” commented actress Kate Miller, who starred in “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Hightown.”
“Every trip to Myers was 50% going for the goods, 50% to see Archie. An absolute legend!” added @adambaldwin24.
“This breaks my heart. I’m so sorry. Rest in eternal salmon and tuna heaven, sweet Archie ?,” posted @strangenessofthewritersheart.
The tabby felt the love from as far away as South Africa.
“I remember Archie so well. This is incredibly sad and horrific….I wish you long life and hugging you guys from Cape Town. Shame. Shame shame. So so sorry for this little guys loss,” posted @lana.g.pro.
“Archie wasn’t just a store cat. He belonged to all the employees who worked here,” Myers-Pulidore said, adding Archie arrived in May 2020 “at the height of COVID,” after one of the kitchen workers brought him in from a cousin’s litter.
When Myers of Kenswick closed for three weeks in April 2020 because of the pandemic an employee took the previous storecat Molly home with her to Jersey City.
“When we re-opened we thought Molly was better off living a life of luxury in Jersey City,” Myers-Pulidore quipped. Archie succeeded Molly on Memorial Day weekend, 2020. Those were not easy puss n boots to fill. Molly was a celebrity in her own right when she got stuck in a wall for two weeks in 2006.
And Myers of Keswick is a famous grocery frequented by the legendary Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards, Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode, and actress Sarah Jessica Parker.
“He took to the store immediately and immediately stole the hearts of everyone,” Myers-Pulidore said, adding a customer said it best: “In such a dreary time, Archie warmed the hearts of so many. You wanted to go visit him at the store.”
The store owner said Archie had a playful and mischievous streak: “He wandered to other businesses on the block. He had such a personality. Actually, I think he was a little full of himself, which made him more endearing,” she laughed.
The kitty will be cremated and his remains will be buried outside Myers of Keswick.