Hi everyone,

Quick update for everyone who signed the petition to legalize and protect NYC’s bodega cats.

Councilmember Frank Morano has reintroduced the Bodega Cat Bill in the New York City Council. The new bill is Int. 0830-2026, and it would remove the city-level ban on cats in retail food stores. It would also create voluntary free vaccination and spay/neuter programs for cats living in these shops.

That is a big step. When the original bill expired at the end of the last Council session, we needed someone new to pick it up. Councilmember Morano did that.

The honest status: this is momentum, not victory yet.

The city bill can help stop NYC from punishing store owners for caring for working cats, but state rules still have to be addressed too. That is where the Albany bill comes in.

At the state level, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal’s bill, A08341, is still active. It would direct the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to create official health and safety standards for cats living in retail food stores. That means basic responsible-care rules like vaccinations, spay/neuter, vet care, food, water, clean conditions, and a safe “cat zone” away from food prep and storage.

Right now, A08341 is in the Assembly Agriculture Committee. It has not passed yet, and there is not yet a matching Senate bill. That is the next major gap.

Follow along on our Substack for more.