Meow you doing?
That’s the kind of greeting you can expect in many New York City bodegas (small convenience stores). Cats lounge in sunny storefronts. They slink between shelves of snack foods. Most customers love them. State laws don’t.
New York bars most animals from stores that sell food. Shop owners face fines if their feline friends are spotted frolicking near the tuna tins.
Inspecting bodegas is a state responsibility. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets says its goal is to ensure compliance with food safety laws. Inspectors aim to offer “educational resources and corrective action timelines and options” before looking at fines.
Animal lovers started a petition online that advocates for bodega cat owners to be spared fines. It racked up more than 10,000 signatures.
Fans argue that these purring predators help keep stores clean. They deter other less welcome creatures: rodents and cockroaches.
But shopkeepers say the cats’ most important job is bringing in customers.
A fluffy gray and white cat named Mimi has become the star attraction at a shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Customer Sydney Miller posted a video of Mimi on social media that’s been viewed over nine million times.
Miller says the experience has helped her build a lasting rapport with Mimi’s caretaker, Asam Mohammad. Mohammad is a Yemeni immigrant who has been in the United States for only a few years.
“Ultimately, the cats are a symbol of community building and the special, unique type of connection that happens in a city like New York,” says Miller.
Mohammad claims that one of Mimi’s offspring, a white furball named Lily, is also now a big hit with customers.
The kitten will “play with anybody,” says Mohammad.
Salim Yafai runs another Greenpoint bodega. His cat, Reilly, is so popular that one longtime customer tried to buy him. He asked Yafai for a price.
“I said, ‘$10,000.’ He said, ‘$1,000.’ I said, ‘No.’” Yafai recalls. Some pets have a value that transcends dollar amounts.
So how do you maintain claw and order? Put on your thinking cat—er, cap. How might grocers respect state laws and attract customers?
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling. — Titus 3:1-2
