Photographer Captures the Working Bodega Cats of New York City

New York City’s bodega cats are no ordinary felines. They’re working cats in neighborhood stores that are in charge of pest control — an important job in a city with a persistent rodent problem.

They’re also beloved by New York’s residents. Regular customers know their local bodega cat’s name, bring them food, and will even stop by just to say hello.

Bodega Cats of New York, a project led by reporter Dan Rimada and photographer Gulce Kilkis, has spent four years documenting 60 bodega cats across all five boroughs.

The first-of-its-kind project has now culminated in a book titled Bodega Cats of New York: Portraits and Stories from New York City’s Working Cats. It features 120 photographs of the cats lounging on food shelves, curled up in shopping baskets, and patrolling for unwanted pests.

Kilkis grew up in Istanbul, a city famous for its cats. She still documents cats in Turkey on her popular Turkish Street Cats Instagram page.

But while New Yorkers and visitors alike are familiar with Bodega cats, some may be surprised to learn that they are technically illegal. Under New York State food safety regulations, live animals generally aren’t allowed in stores that sell food.

Bodega owners can be fined if their feline employee is found napping between the canned goods and paper towels. But in practice, enforcement has often been inconsistent. Inspectors frequently prioritize education and correcting food safety issues over immediately issuing fines.

The Bodega Cats of New York book arrives while two measures concerning cats in food stores remain in committee. New York City Council Int. 0830-2026 would override the city health-code prohibition, but state action would still be necessary. New York State Assembly bill A08341 would establish humane and sanitary standards, including veterinary care, vaccinations, spaying or neutering, food, water, rest, and sanitation requirements.

“This is not a legal argument. It is a record of something New Yorkers already know: the city runs on small businesses, and many of those businesses run with a cat asleep on the counter,” says Rimada.

A press release notes that the book does not treat the cats as mascots or stage them for photographs; it records the people, routines, and conditions around them, including the legal uncertainty that store owners and working cats face.

The book also explores the gap between New York City’s health code and state agriculture law, as well as what owners, customers, and advocates say a humane legal framework would need.

Bodega Cats of New York: Portraits and Stories from New York City’s Working Cats will be published by Epic Ink on November 3, 2026, priced at $30. To pre-order a copy of the book, head to the Bodega Cats of New York website.