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Advocacy
Int. 0830-2026 / A. 8341

Bodega Cats Need Standards

The bills would give bodega cats legal recognition and set basic care standards, so it is easier for owners and rescue groups to help them.

Contact your Council MemberRead the Bills

14,000+ signatures2 active bills (Int. 0830-2026 and A. 8341)$7,835.24 raised for rescue partners

The two bills

The city bill addresses local enforcement. The state bill creates care standards. Neither bill has passed yet.

New York City · In Committee on Health. No hearing scheduled.

Int. 0830-2026

Official recognition and local care programs

The city bill would stop New York City agencies from treating a cat in a retail food store as an automatic local violation. It would also create voluntary vaccination and spay/neuter programs for participating stores.

Lead sponsor: Council Member Frank Morano, with Council Member Virginia Maloney and Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams as sponsors.

City action addresses local enforcement. State action is still needed for a complete legal path.

Read Int. 0830-2026 (opens in a new tab)

New York State · In the Assembly Agriculture Committee. No Senate companion bill yet.

A. 8341

The first statewide care standards

The state bill would require veterinary care, vaccinations, spay/neuter, food, water, clean conditions, and a designated cat zone away from food preparation and storage.

Sponsor: Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal.

The goal is to separate responsible care from neglect with one standard stores and rescue groups can understand.

Read A. 8341 (opens in a new tab)

Contact your City Council Member

Ask them to support Int. 0830-2026. You can also contact your state legislators about A. 8341 or share the petition.

Find your state lawmakersSign the Petition
Contact your Council Member

Bodega cats already work here

Bodega cats are part of neighborhood life in New York. The campaign is about matching that reality with clearer standards, better care, and a legal path store owners can understand.

Rodent pressure
Bodegas operate near subway lines, restaurants, and trash routes. Cats are already part of how many stores respond.
Food safety
Stores are already balancing rodent pressure, inspections, and animal care. A legal path makes those responsibilities clearer.
Neighborhood culture
On many blocks, regulars know the cat before they know the owner. The cat is a fixture people stop in to check on.
Legal gray area
State rules prohibit live animals in retail food stores, and inspectors enforce that rule inconsistently. Cats, stores, and rescue partners are left without standards.
Rescue partner transparency: $7,835.24 to rescue partners

The 2025 Bodega Cat Fundraiser raised $7,435.24. 100% was distributed equally among four rescue partners: Bronx Community Cats, Sassee Cats, Catstoria Rescue, and Bronx Tails Cat Rescue. Each received $1,858.81 for vaccinations, spay/neuter procedures, wellness checkups, and emergency care.

Separately, Brooklyn Cat Cafe received a $400 donation from MOVA through a BCNY partnership. That brings the total directed to rescue partners to $7,835.24.

View fundraiser results →

Real help for bodega cats, right now.

Bills take time. The cats need help now. Lesure donated 10 self-cleaning litter boxes and 10 cat beds to bodega cats across the city.

See the Lesure partnership

Real questions about bodega cats

Legality, food safety, animal care, and what supporters can do next.

Are bodega cats legal in New York City?

Not clearly. City and state rules still leave store owners without a simple legal path. Int. 0830 would stop NYC agencies from treating a cat in a retail food store as an automatic local violation, but state action is still needed.

What does Int. 0830 actually do?

The city bill would override the local prohibition on cats in retail food stores. It would also create voluntary, no-cost vaccination and spay/neuter programs, plus outreach so store owners know how to use them.

What does A. 8341 add at the state level?

The state bill would create health and safety guidelines for cats living in retail food stores. That includes regular veterinary care, vaccinations, spay/neuter, food, water, clean conditions, and safe cat zones away from food preparation and storage areas.

Is this safe for food stores?

Safety depends on clear standards. Vaccination records, sanitation rules, accountability, and humane care make enforcement more useful than an informal system with no practical path for stores.

Do bodega cats actually help with rodents?

They are part of why many owners keep them. Cats catch mice, deter some rodent activity, and live in the store full time. The law should recognize that reality while still requiring humane care and store cleanliness.

Can customers pet, feed, or photograph a bodega cat?

Ask the owner first. Do not feed the cat, pick it up, chase it, or use flash in its face. Some bodega cats are social. Others are working animals that want to be left alone.

What is the most useful thing supporters can do?

Contact your City Council Member about Int. 0830, contact your state legislators about A. 8341, and sign the petition so public support stays visible.

How we got here

Documenting the cats created a public record lawmakers could point to. That record grew into a petition, a fundraiser, press coverage, and the first city and state bills written to protect bodega cats.

Read the full campaign record
  1. January 28, 2025

    Petition launches

    We asked New York City to create a voluntary certification program for bodega cats, with legal recognition, vaccination requirements, and responsible care standards. That petition became the public record lawmakers could point to.

    Read the petition →
  2. February 2025

    First 500 signatures

    The first 500 people signed in the opening weeks, most of them followers who knew the cats by name before they knew there was a bill to want.

  3. March 2025

    First press wave

    The petition hit 6,600 signatures. Coverage followed from ABC7 New York, News 12 Brooklyn, Gothamist, New York Post, and Yahoo.

  4. April 2025

    10,000 signatures

    The petition crossed 10,000 signatures as national coverage picked up.

  5. April 20, 2025

    Fundraiser launches

    The Bodega Cat Collective, a coalition of Instagram accounts with 1.7 million combined followers, launched the Bodega Cat Fundraiser for emergency vet visits, vaccines, spay/neuter services, and rescue support. Sponsors included Smalls, Arm & Hammer Cat Litter, Bodega Cat Whiskey, and Pad Home Pet Services.

    View the fundraiser →
  6. April 24-25, 2025

    NPR national feature

    NPR aired a feature story on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. The segment reached affiliates across the country, from Boston to Seattle.

    Listen to the segment →
  7. May 15, 2025

    13,500+ signatures

    More than 13,500 people signed on for bodega cat protections.

  8. June 13, 2025

    City legislation announced

    Council Member Keith Powers announced he would introduce city legislation focused on bodega cats, local enforcement, and care programs. Coverage followed from NBC New York, Fox 5, NY1, amNewYork, and PIX11.

    "Your campaign is the reason this conversation is happening."
    Councilmember Keith Powers, NYC Council District 4
  9. July 6, 2025

    Fundraiser closes

    The fundraiser raised $7,435.24. Funds were distributed equally among Bronx Community Cats, Sassee Cats, Catstoria Rescue, and Bronx Tails Cat Rescue. Each received $1,858.81 for vaccinations, spay/neuter procedures, wellness checkups, and emergency care.

    View fundraiser results →
  10. November 12, 2025

    First city bill filed

    Council Member Keith Powers filed Int. 1471, the first New York City bill addressing cats in retail food establishments. Co-sponsors included Francisco P. Moya, Sandy Nurse, Chi A. Ossé, Frank Morano, and David M. Carr.

    • Ensures NYC agencies cannot treat cats in retail food stores as a violation of local laws or health code rules
    • Creates voluntary, free programs to provide vaccinations and spay/neuter services for cats living in stores
    • Requires outreach to help stores and rescue partners understand and access these programs
    • Clarifies that state regulations still apply, meaning full legalization depends on future state action
    Read Int. 1471-2025 →
  11. January 7, 2026

    State standards bill moves forward

    Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal's state bill was re-referred to the Assembly Agriculture Committee for the new legislative session. The bill would set up the first statewide standards of care for cats in retail food stores.

    Read A. 8341 →
  12. April 16, 2026

    City bill reintroduced

    After Powers left the Council, Council Member Frank Morano reintroduced the city bill as Int. 0830-2026. Council Member Virginia Maloney and Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams joined as sponsors. The bill keeps the city path for care programs and local enforcement moving forward.

    Read Int. 0830-2026 →
  13. July 2026

    14,284 signatures and a meeting at City Hall

    The petition reached 14,284 signatures. We briefed the executive director of the Council's new Animal Welfare Caucus and legislative staff from a council member's office on Int. 0830. The caucus, formed this spring, is the first body of its kind in the city's history.

    Read about the meeting →

The campaign, covered

86 outlets