In 2022, New York resident and bonafide feline devotee Dan Rimada felt that something needed to be done to shine a light on the city’s cats. The Big Apple not only has a real feral issue, but many of these creatures make their homes in iconic shops found around the city: bodegas. Over time, locals get to know them and they become fixtures of shelves and countertops. Technically, though, New York City considers it a health code violation to have animals in businesses that serve food. In spite of that, thousands of cats serve as mousers and rat catchers, and a lot of people don’t realize that the snoozy tabby nestled atop the Doritos bags is actually illegal.
Rimada founded Bodega Cats of New York to bring visibility to these beloved, informal shop staffers. This fall, a new book published by Epic Ink titled Bodega Cats of New York features 120 photos of 60 cats across all five boroughs along with their stories. The images are snapped by photographer Gulce Kilkis, who also runs the Instagram account @turkish_street_cats.
Advocacy is as much a part of Rimada’s mission as documenting kitties familiar to neighborhood customers, such as Oreo in Park Slope and Prince in SoHo. The type of care or attention the cats get can vary from store to store. Some are treated like royalty, while others are more like interlopers that are tolerated. Nevertheless, Rimada shares their individual stories and raises awareness of the wide range of realities for these animals.
Although they are still in committee, two bills facilitated by Rimada have been introduced that would “stop New York City agencies from treating a cat in a retail food store as an automatic New York City Health Code violation” along with requiring voluntary, free vaccination and spay/neuter programs. The other bill would legally allow cats in retail stores as long as they met veterinary requirements. “We want to protect what makes New York City feel like home,” Rimada says in a statement. “And that includes taking care of the cats that are a part of it.”
Bodega Cats of New York is slated for release in early November. Meet hundreds more feline friends on Instagram, and pre-order your copy on the project’s website. You might also enjoy Marcel Heijnen’s City Cats of Istanbul and a trip through art history with Phaidon’s Cat.
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