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(Update 7:17 p.m. Aug. 1: Lewis the cat is returned safely to Downtown Home and Garden)

If you’ve visited Downtown Home and Garden on South Ashley Street in Ann Arbor during the last decade, chances are you’ve met Lewis the cat.

But in the last few days, Lewis has gone missing from the store.

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Lewis the cat has gone missing from Downtown Home & Garden.

Photo courtesy of Downtown Home and Garden

Downtown Home and Garden owner Mark Hodesh said he hopes that the cat is just missing. He said Louis may have “went out to be alone to rest in peace.”

The orange feline has lived at the century-old shop for about the past 12 years.

But Hodesh said Lewis is more than just a cat. In fact, the 15-pound, 15-year-old tabby generated plenty of buzz in the Ann Arbor area.

“Lewis has regular visitors,” Hodesh said. “He means a lot to a lot of customers. He gets his fair share of mail from people. People driving south to north even come into Ann Arbor just to pet Lewis and get on the road again.”

Hodesh said that some of his customers’ favorite part of shopping at Downtown Home and Garden was getting to see Lewis.

“He has raised generations of kids,” Hodesh said. “We have children that have come in and petted him when they were young and they’re now going to graduate school.”

There are fliers for Lewis posted around town and Hodesh has sent out communications through social media websites like Facebook and Twitter.

“He was the best-natured of store animals, so we’ll miss him if he doesn’t come back,” Hodesh said.

The shop is asking that if you've seen Lewis, call (734) 662-8122.

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.

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