00:00Simba is one of New York's beloved bodega cats entrusted with keeping the
00:04city's convenience stores free of rodents and popular among customers and
00:08staff alike. Simba is very important to us because he keeps the store clean for
00:15the mice. But there is no legal right for businesses to keep cats in New York
00:20and a City Council member in response to a popular petition is tabling a motion
00:25to change that. Technically they're not legal in New York City so we want to
00:29change that because they're here they're friendly they're part of New York City
00:32they're part of the bodega so why not make sure that they can be legal and not
00:35penalize the stores or have to find a new home for them. But animal rights activists
00:41say there's a dark side to the phenomenon with many bodega cats deliberately
00:45underfed by their owners and cast aside when they get old or sick. What people
00:50don't see is how many are neglected, abused, unwanted, never get veterinary care.
00:57And some elected representatives want legalization to come with conditions
01:02which include compulsory sterilization and regular vet visits. You know if you
01:07adopt a cat and bring it to your home you have the same obligations so we want to
01:12ensure that the cats that live in the store you know have the same comforts and
01:16care as those who live in homes. Ultimately it's state authorities and not the
01:22city who have the say in changes to business law. Activists also want funding
01:28for sterilization to be made available to low-income families to help control New
01:33York's stray cat population which stands at half a million feline.
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