🐾 The Secret Life of Bodega Cats

Let’s start with a bold truth: Brooklyn wouldn’t be Brooklyn without bodega cats.

Forget the skyline, the brownstones, or the artisanal doughnuts. The real guardians of this borough are the whiskered, wide-eyed kings and queens lounging on chip bags, snoozing on ATM machines, and giving you that “What do you want, human?” stare when you reach for your Gatorade.

Bodega cats didn’t just wander in for the air conditioning. Their story goes back decades — to when mom-and-pop shops needed a natural pest control solution. Enter the cat: part exterminator, part mascot, full-time attitude.

Over time, they became more than rodent patrol. They became symbols of neighborhood life. Everyone has “their” bodega cat — the one they greet by name on a coffee run. Some have Instagram pages. Others have murals. And a few even have merch lines (because of course they do — this is Brooklyn).

Last week, I walked into a Flatbush bodega to grab a bacon, egg, and cheese. Sitting on the lotto machine was a chunky tabby named Carmelo. The cashier laughed when I asked if he bites.

“Only if you touch his Doritos,” she said.

Sure enough, Carmelo had claimed a full rack of Cool Ranch as his throne. Shoppers bent down to scratch his chin before swiping their MetroCards at the in-store kiosk. And for a moment, the whole store felt like a family living room.

That’s the thing about bodega cats: they don’t just keep out the rats. They pull us in — grounding Brooklyn in a sense of warmth, grit, and neighborhood connection.

Want to weave a little of that magic into your week? Here’s your Bodega Cat-inspired lineup for the next few days:

Brooklyn changes fast. Skyscrapers rise. Coffee shops turn into condos. Rent makes you cry into your bagel.

But bodega cats? They stay. They’re our furry constant. A reminder that community doesn’t come from shiny storefronts — it comes from shared, quirky traditions that feel like home.

“When the cat guards the store, the heart guards the community.”