The Bodega Cats of Brooklyn
PHOTOGRAPHY Ira Yousey
Bodegas in Brooklyn are everywhere you look. They have anything one could possible need in a hurry, from chips and sandwiches for a quick snack fix, to household cleaning and personal hygiene products—and if you stumble upon the right one, you can run into the elusive Bodega Cat. Kept by bodega owners to scare away rodents and pests, the Bodega Cat has become a legendary creature in Brooklyn. Multiple blogs and Instagram accounts have taken to documenting these creatures resting on cases of beer, sleeping among rows of flowers, or perched by the cash register, assuming the role of a feline store manager.
We took a ride around Brooklyn looking for the best, most hard-at-work cats, and the results did not disappoint. These cats were on a mission, ready to combat any threat to your local bodega fare. So this one’s for you, Bodega Cats: thank you for protecting our snacks, and being pretty darn cute while doing so.