Cats Chilling In Corner Shops Totally Act Like They Own The Place
Cats have a way of turning ordinary places into their personal territory, and corner shops are no exception. In this collection from the Bodega Cats project, the stars are the neighborhood felines that lounge, nap, and supervise the snack aisle like they were hired for the job.
The photos also highlight why these store cats get so much attention, they are warm, photogenic, and somehow always look completely at home. Behind the account is a growing online following that keeps sending in more sightings from bodegas, convenience stores, and other unlikely cat hangouts.
1. This cat is observing.
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There are more than 10,000 bodegas in NYC alone. Although corner shop cats are lovely to see, it's still not legal to keep them around edible products. Penalties for keeping a feline in a convenience store start at $200 but can reach $2,000 for repeat offenders (the store owners, not the cats).
The person behind the Bodega Cats project is named Rob. He currently has more than 422k followers on Twitter, 279k fans on Instagram, and over 16k supporters on Facebook.
Rob believes that every cat is unique, and how it acts in a bodega when customers come in will entirely depend on each specific feline. "Cats will just be cats in terms of Bodega Cats vs. House Cats. They all have their own personalities. Feral cats, on the other hand, aren't conditioned to seek out human interaction, so they tend to be more secluded."
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4. This kitty is napping.
Rob says that he's been staying inside more than usual because of the lockdowns and working from home, "So like all of us, I'm stuck inside missing the cats alongside many of us."
He has managed to put his social accounts' popularity to good use. "In some cases, like with they'll work with bodega owners to help get their cats fixed (spayed and neutered).
Rob also mentioned that he uses social media and contributions from webstore sales to assist other organizations like Flatbush Cats. "Check out and support these wonderful organizations," he concluded.
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7. Can this cat count change?
Rob got the idea for the Bodega Cats project back in 2012. He was out late one night in New York, went into a corner shop, noticed a cat, and shared it on Instagram.
"My friends enjoyed the photos of the cats I posted more than the photos of me! At that point, I decided to start the Bodega Cats accounts in hopes of giving people a moment of positivity and a smile throughout their day."
"Now, I'd say we get about 75-100 submissions a week. I really don't think too much about picking the photos other than whether they invoke some sort of emotion in me. It never hurts to select a kitten, a cat on top of a bag of potato chips, or one protecting a nice warm ATM machine."
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Rob thinks that the pictures shared on the Bodega Cats social media accounts induce positive emotions, and they have become popular because people enjoy seeing something common in an uncommon way.
"If you have a cat and then see one out, it brings back that warm feeling of home. I also feel people are excited because they know that to date, we've been able to utilize the money from the sales in our webstore towards helping organizations that assist the feral, community, or bodega cat population.
We've also been able to find other effective ways of helping by donating social posts (tweets, stories, feed posts, etc.) which can help raise awareness for positive organizations."
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It reminds us of Paul Santell, the “Cat Guy,” fighting to help “Taco Bell Cats” in Queens.
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Want more corner-store chaos, see these cats stealing the spotlight at random stores.
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