Update Title: We Did It: Bodega Cats Are Getting Legal Protection

Update Text:

We won.

Keith Powers introduced the bill. Bodega cats are on their way to legal recognition in New York City—with free vaccination, spay/neuter services, and protection for the shop owners who care for them.

This happened because of you. Your 13,334 signatures made lawmakers pay attention. You shared the petition, talked about it, and turned it into something City Hall couldn't ignore. That pressure worked.

The media covered it. Powers' office reached out. The bill is real and it's moving forward. This is what community organizing looks like when it works.

Thank you for making this happen.

But we have a problem.

On October 7th—the day the bill was announced—Instagram suspended the @bodegacatsofnewyork account without warning or explanation.

That account is how we organized this campaign. It's how we raised $8,000 for rescues, connected with Powers' office, and built the community that got us here. It's how people find the tours and buy merch that funds the work.

Multiple appeals were auto-rejected within minutes. A lawyer sent a formal letter—Meta is "reviewing" it. It's been over a month with no response. Tour bookings dropped 87.7%. Sales fell to nothing.

We need that platform back to organize support for the bill as it moves through City Council.

I started a second petition to get the account reinstated: https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-bodegacatsofnewyork-nyc-advocacy-account-suspended-by-meta

You proved that this community can make change happen. Now I'm asking you to do it again.

Sign the new petition and help us get back the platform we used to win this fight.

—Daniel Rimada