The Bodega Cat Union Finally Has A Contract On The table

For over a century, bodega cats have worked without benefits, without job protections, and without so much as a formal acknowledgment that they exist. They show up. They patrol. They keep the mice out of the rice and the rats away from the wiring. In exchange, they get kibble, a warm spot by the register, and the constant threat of a $300 fine if an inspector decides to notice them.

That arrangement is finally on the table for renegotiation.

Int. 1471, introduced by Councilmember Keith Powers in November 2025, is the first legislation in New York City history to recognize bodega cats as what they have always been: working animals doing a job the city relies on but refuses to acknowledge.

The bill would stop city agencies from penalizing stores for keeping cats and establish free vaccination and spay/neuter programs through the Office of Animal Welfare.

Call it the first union contract for bodega cats.

More info: bodegacatsofnewyork.com

Photo by Gulce Kilkis

The comparison is not a stretch. New York runs on organized labor. Doormen, nurses, stagehands, transit workers. The principle is the same: workers who keep the city functioning deserve recognition and protection. Bodega cats have been doing that work since the Brooklyn Navy Yard hired strays to handle a rat infestation in 1893. They just never had representation.

Now they do.

The petition behind Int. 1471 collected over 13,000 signatures. The Bodega Cat Collective, a coalition of accounts and organizations, raised nearly $8,000 for veterinary care. Rescue groups signed on. Vets offered free visits. The bill landed with five co-sponsors and a growing list of supporters.

None of this happened because bodega cats suddenly became popular. They have been popular for decades. It happened because people started treating the issue like a labor question instead of a novelty. Once you frame these cats as workers with a job, everything else follows. Job security. Healthcare. Protection from arbitrary enforcement.

Photo by Gulce Kilkis

Photo by Gulce Kilkis

The health code still says no animals in food establishments. The reality is that a calm, territorial cat does more for rodent control than any trap or poison. Inspectors know it. Owners know it. The city knows it. Int. 1471 does not pretend otherwise. It just asks the city to finally write down what everyone already understands.

Bodega cats are not pets. They are employees. The bodega cat union is not a joke. It is a framework.

The bill is currently in the Committee on Health. Hearings have not been scheduled. The path forward requires sustained attention, not just a viral moment. That means showing up at hearings, contacting council members, and keeping the pressure visible.

The cats will not do this part. They are busy working.

New York has always operated in the spaces between the rules. Bodega cats are just the version you can pet. Int. 1471 is the first serious attempt to bring them out of the gray area and into official recognition.

The bodega cat union is open for membership. The contract is on the table. Now we see if the city signs.

Bodega Cats of New York, the book comes out October 2026.

Photo by Gulce Kilkis

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