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Bodega Cats of New York

A 240-page hardcover about the cats who hold down New York's bodegas. Photographed by Gulce Kilkis across all five boroughs.

Release
November 3, 2026
Retail price
$30
Bodega Cats of New York hardcover book with a blue cover and photography by Gulce Kilkis

Book events.

These are the public dates confirmed so far. Bookstore signings will appear once stores confirm public hours.

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Reddit r/bodega community pop-up

Time
10:00 AM to 10:00 PM both days
Location
r/bodega213 Bowery, Manhattan

Free. A Reddit account is required for entry.

More about this event

r/bodegacats will have its own section inside Reddit’s first IRL pop-up. Every attendee gets a Snoo plushie. Reddit also lists totes, mugs, stickers, postcards, cold drinks, special deli-counter items, and Meowdani, the event’s official bodega cat. On Sunday from 9:00 to 10:00 PM, anything left in the build will be free to take home.

Bodega Cats of New York at the City Reliquary

Time
First Friday runs 7:00 to 10:00 PM; talk starts at 7:30 PM
Location
The City Reliquary370 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn

Free. The RSVP link is not live yet.

More about this event

Dan Rimada shares a pre-release slideshow drawn from the archive behind the book, followed by audience questions. The slides will stay up for the rest of the evening.

Bodega Cats of New York at Brooklyn Public Library

Time
6:00 to 7:30 PM
Location
Central Library, Information Commons Lab10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn

Open to the public. The room has 55 seats.

More about this event

Dan Rimada tells stories from the new book with photographs by Gulce Kilkis. He will share how he got to know the cats and the people behind the counter, and what it took to make the book.

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Full book details
Release
November 3, 2026
Author
Dan Rimada
Photography
Gulce Kilkis
Publisher
Epic Ink, an imprint of Quarto
Format
Hardcover coffee table book
Pages
240 pages
Dimensions
8 × 10 inches
Retail price
$30
ISBN
9798317901585

Official trailer

Watch the 83‑second trailer.

Documenting bodega cats since 2022.

Look inside the book.

Five spreads from the 240-page hardcover, where the photographs and stories come together.

Interior spread from Bodega Cats of New York featuring Prince in SoHo, Manhattan. Photography by Gulce Kilkis.

Prince · SoHo, Manhattan

Photography by Gulce Kilkis. Selected interior spreads provided by Epic Ink / Quarto Publishing.

The book came out of store visits.

The book grew from repeated store visits and questions about each cat: their name, where they came from, and what the regulars knew.

Some sleep on the lottery tickets. Some watch the door. One won't come down from the ceiling until she's ready.

Inside the book

Bodega cat photographed inside a New York City store

Photographs

A bodega cat and its store shown as part of the book archive

Stories

A bodega cat with the people and store around it

The people

Photography by Gulce Kilkis.

What you'll find inside

Photographs: Cats in the places they actually choose, from the chip aisle to the cardboard box behind the register.

Stories: First-person accounts from the owners, workers, and regulars who know each cat by name.

The people: The families who built their lives around these bodegas and the regulars who visit the cat first.

Early readers, on the book.

“There are a lot of things that come to mind when you think of New York City, but bodegas—and the cats that live in them—are one of the iconic parts of our city. I introduced the bill to legalize our beloved bodega cats because of the indispensable role they play in stores, and because they are the embodiment of New York City—which this book artfully explores.”

Keith Powers
Keith PowersNYC Council Member · Sponsor of the Bodega Cat Bill

“A street-level look at New York that most people walk right past. Rimada captures the soul of the corner store and the cats who call it home.”

Joe Conzo Jr.
Joe Conzo Jr.Photographer · "The Man Who Took Hip Hop's Baby Pictures"

“Growing up in my dad's bodega in the 90s, our cat was merely a worker. Fast forward 25+ years, and they've not only been promoted to store manager, but also to the bodega's official mascot. People like Dan aren't just customers who stop to pet and acknowledge them. They've given these cats a platform for rightful appreciation and, more importantly, protection.”

Kel Murphy
Kel MurphyFilmmaker · Director of La Bodega Sells Dreams

“New York City is the world's melting pot, and the place where it all happens is the bodega. It is a safe space built into your neighborhood's corner to provide warmth, a hot meal, and the most perfect part of New York City culture—THE bodega cat. Daniel Rimada has captured the soul of these spaces perfectly.”

Michelladonna
MichelladonnaActor · Host of Mad Realities' Shop Cats

About the people who made the book

Dan Rimada

Dan Rimada founded Bodega Cats of New York and wrote the book of the same name, a 240-page record of the cats and people behind New York's bodegas. He has documented bodega cats across all five boroughs since 2022 and organized a petition signed by more than 14,000 people calling for legal protections and care standards. He lives in Brooklyn with Cocoa and Charles, two house cats who have never worked a shift.

Gulce Kilkis

Gulce is the lead photographer for the book. She is from Istanbul and has long photographed street cats there, bringing that same eye to New York's bodegas. With over a decade on film and TV sets, she works candidly: no posing, no treats, just the patience to wait for the unposed moment. She documents street cats in Turkey at @turkish_street_cats.