SOUTHERN BROOKLYN — A popular Instagram account dedicated to documenting bodega cats will feature felines from Bay Ridge and Sunset Park in a new book.
Bodega Cats of New York was created by Dan Rimada. His first book will be released Nov. 3.
Six cats from South Brooklyn made it to the book.
The project began during the COVID-19 pandemic when the creator noticed Luna, a black and white bodega cat in Fort Greene.
“I had a chance to notice things across the city that I wouldn’t have otherwise, like a bodega cat,” Rimada said.
Rimada grew up in the city and, until the pandemic, took bodega cats for granted. “They were just part of the infrastructure. They were just part of the store. They didn’t really stand out in any special way.”
Klara. Photo: Gulce Kilkis
Rimada decided to start a small Instagram account to post pictures of the cats. Luna ended up being the inspiration for the logo. Within a year, the account had hundreds of followers who sent him photos of their local bodega cat.
At first, he resisted, but he soon switched gears and started reposting everyone’s photos. After that, the account took off in popularity. It currently has over 18,000 followers.
Eventually, a publisher approached Rimada about a book deal. Rimada and photographer Gulce Kilkis started taking pictures and documenting cats before they ever had the deal in place.
“We just knew that we wanted to start documenting them because no one had really done it the way that we were doing it,” Rimada said. “We were like, ‘Let’s start, and then maybe an opportunity will roll in for people to see our work.’ Then probably like a quarter of the way through, we got an email from Quarto Publishing, and they said, ‘We saw your Instagram account, and we know what you’re up to, and we’re curious if you’d want to do a book with us about bodega cats.’”
He described it as the “quickest wrap-up of a book deal ever,” and they ramped up their efforts. Rimada and Kilkis met after work and every weekend to meet cats, visiting 250 bodegas. Only 60 of those cats are included in the book.
The book is called “Bodega Cats of New York: Portraits and Stories from ‘New York City’s Working Cats.”
Bay Ridge cats featured in the book include Chapo, a brown mackerel tabby, and Klara, a vocal tortie.
Blackie, from a Dyker Heights bodega, is described as a true void, solid black. The book tells how a neighbor who lived on the block for 30 years never visited the store till she found out there was a cat. Now she comes just to give Blackie presents.