Abodega cat, also known as adeli cat,store cat,shop cat, is a type ofworking cat that inhabits abodega, which inNew York City English refers to aconvenience store ordeli.^[1][2] Like other working cats, a bodega cat is typically adomestic shorthair kept as a form ofbiological pest control to manage or prevent rodent infestations.^[3]

A bodega cat may be adomesticated cat that is kept by the bodega owner, or asemi-feral cat that the bodega owner attracts to the store through regular feeding. Public health departments typically prohibit bodega cats underfood codes that ban live animals from establishments where consumable goods are sold.^[1]

As early as the 1890s, cats have been documented in New York as working animals within the postal system^[4] and as of 2025, it is estimated that "between 30 and 40% of bodegas in New York City probably have cats."^[5]

TheNew York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene considers bodega cats a "general deficiency", citing concerns over the potential they pose for food contamination.^[6] Under Chapter 23 of the Food Service Establishment Violation Penalty Schedule, establishments selling food that keep live animals that are notservice animals or fish kept in tanks are subject to a fine ranging from $200 to $350.^[7] Despite this, cats remain a ubiquitous presence at many of the more than 10,000 bodegas across New York City;^[8]The New York Times reports that many bodega owners keep cats in spite of the law because they are seen as preferable to rodent infestations, which also carry a fine of $300.^[9]

Bodega cats are a part ofinternet culture, as well asNew York City culture.^[10] Multiple blogs andsocial media accounts are devoted to chronicling photographs of bodega cats across the city.^[11][12][13] In 2019, aSaturday Night Live sketch starringJohn Mulaney parodied the musicalCats using a bodega cat.^[14] That same year, a bodega cat at 71 Fresh Deli and Grocery inKips Bay, Manhattan, was stolen from the store; the cat's theft was widely covered in New York City media, withThe New York Times,^[10]New YorkDaily News,^[15] andNY1 reporting on the incident.^[16]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toShop cats.

• Farm cat
• KitKat (cat)
• Ship's cat

• Biological pest control
• Working cats
• Culture of New York City
• Cats in the United States

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Commons category link from Wikidata