In late October 2016, an online storm of discussion lit up among New Yorkers on the topic of bodega cats. The source of this discussion was a poor Yelp review left about the S.K. Deli Market in the East Village of New York City. The focus of the review was not anything to do with the quality of the bodega itself, but with the presence of a cat in the shop.
The reviewer, a woman named Diana who left the market a one-star rating, said she was stopping into the deli for a sandwich when “to [her] dismay—there was a cat perched on top of the Budweiser.” She then added that she was allergic to cats and wondered aloud what the health code says about bodega cats. This review blew up when twitter user SynKami tweeted a screenshot of the review with the response “you gotta be a miserable gentrifying ass bitch to yelp about the bodega cat.”
Before I say anything, I’ll start with this: that cat was preventing people from buying Budweiser. That is a good thing. That cat is already doing a service to humanity. As a New Yorker and cat lover, it’s impossible for me to keep my mouth shut in the wake of the online discussion about this situation. I’m currently unable to keep a cat due to the fact I live in a dorm, so one of the greatest pleasures in my life is popping into a local bodega during a hard day, buying a couple necessities, and spending some time with the cat inside the store. However, with my personal feelings on cats aside, that is not why the Yelp review got on my nerves.
Bodega cats are not just pets that the owners keep around the store because they can’t bare to leave them at home (and even if they were, the dog owners of New York would not be able to protest without seeming extremely hypocritical). Bodega cats are there to provide a service to the city and to their stores. They’re there to scare off notoriously unpleasant New York City rats and mice from their store. Even if the cat is too domestic to catch and kill rats and mice inside the store, the mere presence of a cat is enough to scare off any potential large vermin. Could anyone truthfully say they’d rather see a disease-carrying rat in their local bodega than a harmless cat who bathes itself and has had all its shots?
Furthermore, on the topic of customers who may be allergic to cats: that’s a very unfortunate situation. I genuinely feel for anyone who has to deal with an unsuspected allergen when they may not have been prepared for one. However, that is the small price one pays for a clean store, and when bodega owners have little budget to work with, a cat that scares off rats with its mere presence is far cheaper and more humane than the alternative methods of getting rid of rats. Small, locally owned New York businesses are struggling enough, and the population of people who are so allergic to cats they wouldn’t be able to shop in a bodega with a cat in it are a small margin of business lost. These cats are too essential to let go, and for those allergic, the majority of small stores and delis in the city, whether bodega or not, are still cat-free.
Lastly, are bodega cats legal? Of course not. If a health inspector sees a cat in a bodega they’re reviewing, the owner may rack up a fine anywhere from $300-$2,000. But, to be fair, they are far more likely of being fined for the presence of rats, mice, or their droppings in the shop. So sure, bodegas aren’t allowed to have cats, but the law is taken about as seriously as the law of underage drinking (which is to say, not at all). The kicker is, bodegas they aren’t allowed to have vermin either, and it’s far easier to hide a cat during an inspection than a rat or any of its leavings. Plus, rats don’t use litter boxes, and the most dangerous thing a cat would leave behind in a bodega is a little fur. Plus, we live in a world where people can pay to eat sushi off of a naked woman’s body and not receive any complaints from customers or food handling: is a cat sleeping amongst food that’s already protected and packaged really such a huge deal?
Bodega cats are undeniably an essential part of New York culture. They’re an integral part of city life just as much as street meat, yellow cabs, and train delays. They're part of what gives the city character. To complain about them is like complaining because too many people were yelling and throwing things during a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. To complain so vehemently shows you don’t know the first thing about New York or its culture, and the fault yours and yours alone.
