The bodega cat has become quite the staple of New York life. Romanticized by the many social media accounts that interview and celebrate these felines, many residents of the area travel significant distances just to cross paths with these internet celebrities. But in this story the true life of one bodega cat is exposed as a cat lover takes matters into their own hands. You see, while this story begins by focusing on the online outcry that a community's favorite feline had been stolen, the truth was far more nuanced than that. So much so that the so-called thief stepped forward to shed some light on the situation as he saw it. He explained that he himself had caught and returned the cat after finding it scared and confused far from the store on several occasions. And it was not only him who had done so, several community members had done the same. Suggesting that this beloved feline was actually being neglected and was in danger of being injured or worse while out on its own.

I have heard of stories like this many times over. Usually it is a private person who is neglecting their indoor cat by pushing them outdoors or neglecting to ensure all escape routes are closed, but this happens more than you might think. Under the guise that some people put on cats as being independent creatures that can survive anything on their own, some hoomans simply do not care if their cat gets loose and wanders their neighborhood. Now, sure this might be ok for a cat who came from the streets, who knows what a moving car can do to them, who can sense when a malicious hooman is coming their way. But for an innocent indoor cat who knows barely anything about the big bad world that exists outside of the four walls that constitute its life, well, the story is simply not the same. And therein lies our question, what do you do when you have rescued the same cat several times and every time you bring it back you are lied to and told the cat is fine when you can clearly see it is not?

These matters are incredibly complicated as animal ownership laws do not protect pets enough from neglectful owners. Instead they tend to side with the owners and treat the animal as property. Meaning that even if a cat is being mistreated and subjected to dangerous conditions, there is no legal justification for removing the feline. In turn that means that not the police, animal control or rescues can get involved to help. I have pawsonally seen this happen with my own eyes and cried many nights over the poor felines who I would never be able to help, only to return to the four walls that barely contain or care for them. So I hope that as you dive into this incredibly juicy story that you keep in mind that what John has done is something that almost any good cat lover would do, or want to do after seeing a feline in peril so many times over. It might not have been legal, it might not have been justified, but this story really does raise some flags over what should be done to better pawtect the beloved cats and animals we all want to see being treated fairly.