Bodega Cat & Bodega Regular Hats

The bodega cat is a New York fixture with a paper trail. Wikipedia reports that between 30 and 40 percent of the city's bodegas probably have one, and the Bodega Cats of New York Instagram project has been documenting them since around 2012. Their legal standing is shakier than their popularity: the NYC Department of Health prohibits animals in food establishments, so a counter cat can technically draw fines. In June 2025 Councilmember Keith Powers backed a bill to codify bodega cats into city law, saying they "embody the New York spirit: friendly, welcoming and anti-rat." The loyalty is real. When Boka, a Park Slope bodega cat, was taken from Green Olives Deli & Grill in 2022, the neighborhood rallied until the owner could post "BOKA IS BACK." Customers describe the routine plainly: "Oh you wanna get coffee and see Boka?" Even Goya sells a cap featuring Frijol the Bodega Cat. These hats cover both sides of the counter. Two badges name the cat and the regular. The sentence designs carry the bit: the bodyguard, the permission to pet, the chopped cheese order, the sketchy bodega with no cat, and the cat asleep on the bread. Custom embroidered on an unstructured dad hat, for the regular the cat has decided to tolerate.