Megusta
Many people have a misconception that cats are lazy. They are sleeping most of the time, well yes, cats sleep about 15 hours a day. Yes, cats love tasty treats, but that doesn’t mean they’re spongers. They’re hustle sometimes, I mean, sometimes. Just by walking from the bodega – It’s what people in New York call their convenience stores or delis, there is a possibility that you will see Mr. Mustache and Mr. Tabby are buzzing around the place. Business owners are “hiring” them for pest control. To control or prevent the spread of rodents.
See? They’re not lazy at all, cats are just being a selective participant. To pay tribute to these industrious cats, Rob Hitt started an online project called the Bodega Cats. Bodega Cats is a social media project to celebrate our diligent kitty friends. The premise is simple: people discover bodega cats in their natural habitats, take pictures and submit them to those who proceed with the show. They choose the best and share it with their followers.
On the other hand, the results are excellent. A sophisticated collection of adorable cat pictures. We’re glad to feast your eyes with these cute paw-sitivities in case you’re thinking about quitting your jobs!
Check out our next part: Part 2
More info: bodegacats.nyc | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (h/t: boredpanda)
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#1
"Since I moved to NYC, I’ve been familiar with cats in our local corner stores (bodegas) but it wasn’t until 2012 when I was out late one evening and stumbled my way into a bodega seeing a cat and making a late-night post to my Instagram feed that I came up with the idea for the project." Rob Hitt, the man behind Bodega Cats, had an interview with Bored Panda.
"My friends enjoyed the photos of the cats I posted more than the photos of me! At that point, I decided to start the Bodega Cats accounts in hopes of giving people a moment of positivity and smile throughout their day."
"Now, I’d say we get about 75-100 submissions a week." Hitt said.
"I really don’t think too much about picking the photos other than if they invoke some sort emotion in me. It never hurts to select a kitten, a cat on top of a bag potato chips, or one protecting a nice warm ATM machine."
#2
But bodega cats are somehow technically unlawful. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Health considers these to be "general deficiencies" and raises concerns about the risk of food contamination. Fines range from $300 for the first breach to $2,000 or more for subsequent breach.
“Any animal around food presents a food contamination threat.” Robert M. Corrigan, a rodentologist and research scientist for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told The New York Times.
“And so that means anything from animal pieces and parts to hair and excrement could end up in food, and that alone, of course, is a violation of the health code.”
#3
However, many shopkeepers keep cats despite the law because it is considered that cats are preferred over the spread of fined rodents.
“In the morning she is lazy, it is her nap time..”
“But in the afternoon she is busy. She spends hours stalking the mice and the rats.” - Urszula Jawor, 49, A deli manager and a Polish immigrant explained her kitty staff.
#4
Rob Hitt thinks that one of the reasons people like Bodega Cats is that they prefer to discover familiar things by chance in a completely strange way.
"It evokes a positive emotion." - he explained.
"If you have a cat and then see one out, it brings back that warm feeling of home. I also feel people are excited because they know to date we've been able to utilize the money from the sales in our webstore towards helping organizations that help the feral, community, or bodega cat population. We’ve also been able to find other effective ways of helping by donating social posts (tweets, stories, feed posts, etc.) which can help raise awareness for positive organizations."
