New York City is famous for a lot of things, but its corner stores and bodegas are a huge part of the city’s natural charm. Just as beloved are the cats that patrol many of the five boroughs’ bodegas, giving customers a familiar face to interact with while grabbing their morning coffee, or keeping watch for intruders like mice and other vermin.

While having a cat in a retail shop certainly isn’t the norm in every city, it’s a very common and downright wholesome occurrence in NYC that most New Yorkers wouldn’t dream of changing. And as a bill gains traction in the state legislature that would establish health and safety standards for cats living in retail stores, it looks like the city’s famous felines could soon be getting some added protection of their own.

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What Is a Bodega Cat?

To understand what a bodega cat is, first you have to know about bodegas. On nearly every block throughout the city, bodegas are small mom-and-pop shops that sell daily essentials, from snacks and beverages to lottery tickets and household cleaning supplies. Many also have deli counters serving hot and cold sandwiches, quick appetizers and more, typically run by local owners who know their regulars by name and keep the place running late into the night.

Bodega cats come in many shapes and sizes, and they’re often found lounging on a stack of soda cases, snuggled behind a row of chips or grazing in a ray of sun without a care in the world. They’re often friendly, coming up to inspect shoppers as they pay for their things (and sometimes standoffish, as cats tend to be). And while some people might have a knee-jerk reaction to their presence, bodega cats feel like a necessary addition to the shopping experience that makes your favorite neighborhood spot feel even more at home.

Related: This ‘Cozy’ and ‘Secure’ Target Find Gives Small Dogs and Cats the Perfect Hideaway

Proposed Law Could Protect Cats Living in NYC Retail Stores

According to local reports, Lidia Aguabia’s cat partner in crime, Pancha, who joins her at the flower stand at Clinton Fruit Market in Hell’s Kitchen, is just one of the thousands of bodega cats that inspired a proposed bill in the state legislature. The bill would establish official health and safety guidelines for cats living in retail food stores, which includes standards like regular vet checkups, vaccines and designated “cat zones” separate from food prep areas.

“Animals are love, animals are happiness and animals have to be a responsibility for everyone,” Aguabia said in an interview with ABC.

While the bill is still making its way through the legislative process, it recently reached a milestone, moving to the Agriculture Committee this month. Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, who represents Manhattan’s Upper West Side, introduced the bill last spring.

“If you adopt an animal from the shelter, they have to be spayed or neutered,” Rosenthal told viewers in the ABC segment. “You know, no telling where those kitties come from that live in bodegas. But just to make sure they work, keeping mice and other vermin away, but they should also have access to a good place to rest, good food and water.”

It’s worth noting that this proposal is separate from city legislation introduced last year, which would make it easier for stores with cats to stay in compliance, as under current health codes their presence is technically a no-go. If this new bill passes, a lot of responsibility will fall on business owners to provide proper care for their feline employees.

But one thing is clear: while laws may change in one direction or another, the city will always love its friendly neighborhood bodega cat. And if state legislators are willing to work with owners rather than make their cats’ presence in stores illegal, it would be a major win for cat lovers everywhere.

Related: Five Below’s Interactive $10 Find Gives Cats a Field of Their Own on Game Day

This story was originally published by Parade Pets on Feb 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.