Ep 668: City Kitties: Inside New York's Bodega Cat Movement, with Dan Rimada, Founder of Bodega Cats of New York and Co-Founder of Cats About Town Tours

New York City’s bodega cats—once invisible fixtures in corner stores—are now at the center of a groundbreaking movement to recognize and protect them as working animals. Dan Rimada, founder of Bodega Cats of New York, reveals how a casual photography project in 2020 evolved into a citywide advocacy campaign that led to two major legislative bills: one to eliminate fines for bodega cat ownership and another to establish statewide care standards. Despite the city’s health code technically banning live animals in bodegas, Rimada’s work exposed a cultural institution—30 to 40% of NYC’s 13,000 bodegas host cats, many of whom are feral or stray, serving as natural rodent control. The campaign’s success hinges on a rare alignment: cat rescues, city officials, and bodega owners are now collaborating to ensure cats are spayed, vaccinated, and housed in humane conditions. Rimada’s journey—from a poli-sci grad with no interest in legislation to a policy advocate—shows how passion can pivot into impact. His upcoming book, *Bodega Cats of New York*, and his co-founded walking tours celebrate the cats’ history while pushing for systemic change. The real breakthrough? For the first time, the city officially acknowledges these cats exist—and that’s the foundation for real reform. The episode reframes bodega cats not as pests or anomalies, but as essential, culturally embedded partners in urban life.