New York bodega cats are clawing their way to legality. Part mascot, part security, the city’s feline employees are essential to the corner store economy as New Yorkers know it. Now, these low-cost, high-impact workers, and their employers, may finally receive legal protections.
City Council Member Keith Powers has introduced a bill that would legalize bodega cats, providing a path to registration for each feline and offering free vaccination and spay or neuter programs to owners.
The proposal directly challenges the city’s health code, which currently prohibits live animals in food establishments, forcing bodega owners to choose between low-cost rodent control and fines that can range from a few hundred dollars up to $2,000 for repeat offenders…