Tiger / Julia

A follower sent the location. The message said there was a cat named Tiger in Williamsburg. I added it to the list and we went to see her.

She was in the back room when we walked in, calm and quiet at seven years old. Khalil, the owner, had built her a corner and routine of her own.

He told us he appreciates her company. Long days behind the register, and she spends them with him. When customers see her, when they stop and crouch down to say hello, it makes his day. That is what he said.

A regular couple walked in while we were shooting. The woman looked at the cat and said, "Oh hey, look. Julia is going to be famous."

I looked at Khalil. He knew her as Julia, while our follower knew her as Tiger.

This happens often. A cat may have one name from the owner, another from the morning worker, and a third from an afternoon regular. Delivery drivers sometimes have a name too. In this store, both Tiger and Julia were correct.

In a bodega, a cat's name is not always a fixed record. It depends on who is talking, what shift they work, and when they met the cat. The names Tiger and Julia came from different relationships with her.

She watched us from her corner, calm and unhurried, while we sorted out the two names.

From the StoriesTiger / Julia's story appears in Bodega Cats of New York, out November 3, 2026.