Back in 2022, Dan Rimada started documenting the \u201cbodega cats\u201d of New York City. If you\u2019ve ever been to the city, you might be familiar with these felines, reclining in the neighbourhood bodegas (convenience store) and not given them too much thought.<\/p>\n
But there are hundreds of them, sprawling out across NYC\u2019s five boroughs \u2013 and this collection aims to give you a beautiful, whimsical and heartfelt overview of these working cats and their special lives.<\/p>\n
Fast forward four years, and the Bodega Cats have made it into their very own book. Featuring more than 60 cats over 240 pages and 150 photographs, the imagery is led by Turkish photographer Gulce Kilkis.<\/p>\n
Of course, if you\u2019ve been reading our channel for a while, you\u2019ll know that Istanbul is the cat capital of the world, so Gulcis \u2013 who grew up in the city \u2013 was the perfect person to lead such a project.<\/p>\n
To find the cats in the book, Rimada would talk to store owners, customers and word of mouth. He\u2019d visit the stores to learn more about the cats from the people that know them best. He\u2019d discover their history, their routines, what they like, what they don\u2019t, while Gulcis would photograph them \u2013 it sounds like a blissful partnership to me.<\/p>\n
It was important not to stage the cats \u2013 not like you can pose cats anyway \u2013 and you get a feel for the street cat type photography that Gulcis will be used to from her time in Istanbul when you look through this remarkable collection.<\/p>\n
The book takes a look at small business life, animal welfare, public health rules and the decline in numbers of neighbourhood stores without going over the top and romanticising the conditions for the cats.<\/p>\n
Two measures regarding cats in food stores are currently in committee in New York, so it comes at an interesting time for the city\u2019s feline population. A new bill would establish humane and sanitary standards, which includes veterinary care, vaccinations, spaying or neutering, food, water, rest and sanitation requirements.<\/p>\n
Moving through the book, you realise that these cats are far from mascots, but a part of the routines of the people that surround them. The legal uncertainty that store owners and the working cats face makes it a poignant time-capsule of a specific point in history, too.<\/p>\n
It is in fact this project, and these photographs, that have helped turn the legal grey are surrounding cats and their rights in bodega stores into a public campaign and legislation in New York City, with Dan Rimada regularly sharing stories, visiting cultural venues, exhibitions and public programmes to talk more about the project and the work that it is doing.<\/p>\n
The book documents 150 books, but there\u2019s many more out there. If you happen to know of one yourself, you can even submit a bodega cat on the BCNY website<\/a> and if the cat is really lucky, it might get interviewed (along with its nearest spokeshuman).<\/p>\n If you want to see Dan Rimada in person talking about the book and the project, there\u2019s plenty of opportunity to do that over the next few weeks, with events taking place across New York and beyond. Visit the BCNY website for more details on that too.<\/p>\n Bodega Cats of New York is published by Epic Ink. It\u2019ll become available in November, but you can pre-order a copy now \u2013 go on, you know you want to. ISBN: 9798317901585.<\/p>\n For now, indulge yourself with a look through this gallery of extremely charming bodega cats, you definitely want to do that.<\/p>\n Related reading:<\/p>\n Do you want to win some great prizes for your photography? Enter your photos in our International Amateur Photographer of the Year competition<\/a>. Free entry for photographers aged 13-21.<\/p>\n Follow AP on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0YouTube<\/a>,\u00a0TikTok<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Irys<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n