Masha & Papelito

Williamsburg. Siblings, probably. Carlos thinks so but isn't certain. They came from somewhere else before he started working there.

Papelito got his name first. "Little piece of paper." When they found him, he was so small that picking him up felt like lifting nothing at all.

Masha never accepted that kind of handling. Carlos tried to bring her upstairs for photos and warned us: "She doesn't like too many people." He's protective of her boundaries in a way that suggests years of learning them.

The basement is where they live. One percent lighting, tight space, not somewhere most owners would invite strangers. Carlos took us down anyway. On a busy day. With the counter packed. The coworkers behind the register had no idea Masha was famous on Instagram until we told them. Carlos just shrugged. He already knew.

"Those cats look very happy," I said when we came back up.

He nodded. "People think of them too much as pets. These are working cats."

When Carlos goes on vacation, a neighbor named Marietta feeds them.

Bodega Cats of New York comes out this fall.