User:Madpie22/Bodega cat

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Semi-feral cats can be defined by being unowned but fed by a resident, they can be free roaming. Feral cats are defined as unowned cats that are not being given food or water.

Symbiotic Relationships and Biological Pest Control

Symbiosis refers to any type of close knit relationship between two different biological species. There are three types of symbiotic relationships, mutualistic, parasitism, and commensalism. There is a symbiotic relationship that has formed between humans and cats. This relationship is mutualistic, meaning that, all species involved benefit from their interactions. Bodega cats get a home in return for their biological pest control. The NYC Feral Cat Initiative is taking an innovative route to fight the rat problem, by capturing stray and feral cats, spaying and neutering them, and releasing them into rodent infested areas. The presence of the cats acts as an intimidation to the rats and helps keep their population at bay.

There is also another symbiotic relationship between cats and other rodents. This is a parasitism relationship, one species (cat) is benefiting, while the other species (rats and other rodents) are suffering. Bodega owners have used this symbiotic relationship to their advantage to fight off unwanted pests. Feral and semi-feral cats have been used as a form of biological pest control for many years. Cats are natural predators of rodents, they can be used to fight off small rodent infestations that can help prevent damage to goods and other profitable goods, while also increasing the morale of the business.

Behavior

Bodega cats are usually semi feral cats, that was either lured in by the bodega owner with food and water, or claimed the area as their own. These cats are known to have a very strict schedule, patrolling inside and outside the bodega for unwanted pests and greeting customers. Since most bodega cats are either feral or semi-feral, the behavior of the cat depends on their age and past experiences. You will usually find a bodega cat lounging around in different isles or on the pavement outside. Bodega cats tend to be well behaved, just like any other cat, they will make it known when they want to be played with and when they do not.

in Popular Culture

Bodega cats are seen in a variety of different popular cultures, from children books and marvel movies to rap music and celebrity brands. The group of rappers known as A$AP Mob has multiple songs rapping about the bodega cats in New York. In the recent HBO release Animals, the members can be seen as animated cats in a corner store. Another celebrity with strong ties to New York, Pete Davidson, recently debuted his affiliation as co-founder of the production company Bodega Cats Presents'. Another example of bodega cats being used as the main focus of a medium is through children's books. In 2018, Maggs Salad released Barry Bodega, the story of a lonely bodega cat who is judged by their looks and yearns for a friend. A year later, in 2019, Louie Chin wrote a children's book called Bodega Cat, it tells the story of a cat named Chip, who lives in a bodega. Telling stories of Chips' life as a bodega cat, greeting costumers, roaming isles, taking cat naps in the chip isle while pointing out the latin influence of bodegas.

Cats have always been a popular topic in different medias, but when it comes to New York, bodega cats have become a mascot for corner stores. Marvel is one of the highest grossing movie franchises in 2023. In 2017, Marvel released Spider-Man: Homecoming, which ended up on the top 5 list of movies released in 2017. The movie follows Peter Parker, a high school student living in New York. A lot of native New Yorkers were surprised to see many New York staples that tend to be overlooked. In an interview with the director Jon Watts, he stated that adding a bodega cat to multiple scenes was something he wanted to include that was a cultural symbol for New York. On February 1st 2019, Netflix released the show Russian Doll, staring Natasha Lyonne. Set in New York City, there are plenty of scenes portraying New York bodegas. Although, the show is not about bodega cats, one of the main characters, Nadia, has a special connection with the bodega cat (Oatmeal) that lives near her local bodega. Many of the scenes throughout the first season take place in bodegas, and there are numerous episodes where Oatmeal is seen lounging at the register.

New York's Love for Bodega Cats Continues

New Yorkers love for bodega cats is no secret, from social media accounts dedicated to sharing pictures of bodega cats living their best life to advocating for bodega cats to be kept safe and out of harms way. Bodega cats have been the target of multiple cat-nappings, but because they are loved all over, New Yorkers have been known to band together and keep them out of trouble. There have been multiple cases where a bodega cat was cat-napped and local New Yorkers fought to get the cat back to its home at the bodega. Mid 2022, a Brooklyn bodega cat, Boka, was taken outside of Green Olives Deli & Grill in Park Slope. After the owners took it social media, it took a little over a week for the locals to get Boka back to his home. This is not the only time locals have gotten together to find missing bodega cats. Earlier in January of 2023, Bridget Moynahan, posted a flier of missing bodega cat who shares the name with the actress. Moynahan urged fans on instagram to help locate the missing cat and get it home to safety.

in legality section:

Bodega owners have made it known that they would rather pay the regulatory fine than get rid of their feline mascot. Unwanted rodents can show up if the cat is off duty, contaminating products and creating a separate penalty.

References -
VERENA DOBNIK. “Stray Cat Patrol: Feral Felines Deployed in NYC War on Rats.” Canadian Press,

The. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=MYO043858043416&site=ehost-li

e&scope=site. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

Bretnor, Reginald. “Bring Cats!" A Feline History of the West.” American West (00031534), vol. 15, no. 6,

Nov. 1978, p. 32. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ahl&AN=46037817&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Medina, Tony. “Ode to Bodega Cats.” Obsidian, vol. 47, no. 2, July 2021, pp. 193–95. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edo&AN=161596592&site=eds-live&scope=site.