00:00This government has said that it might be important if it is good or if it is good.
00:14Do you know this cat?
00:17Do you know the cat?
00:19Yeah.
00:20Oh Simba is the best cat in the world.
00:40I've never seen before a bigger cat like this one.
00:44Simba is very important to us because he keeps the soil clean for the mice and also the people very often they come to visit to save.
01:14Simba, not social today.
01:27It's okay.
01:29So many people walking in, shaking up.
01:36I know, I know.
01:39In New York City, so technically they're not legal in New York City.
01:42So we want to change that because they're here.
01:44They're friendly.
01:45They're part of New York City.
01:46They're part of the bodega.
01:47So why not make sure that they can be legal and not penalize the stores or have to find a new home for them.
01:53Let's keep them legal.
01:55Let's have a look at the table.
01:56Let's take a look at the table in the pen.
01:57Let's take a look at the table.
01:58Let's take a look.
01:59Let's take a look at this table.
02:00Let's take a look.
02:01We're good.
02:02You're good.
02:03They're good.
02:04I've said, don't sleep.
02:05You're good.
02:06Don't sleep.
02:07Don't sleep.
02:08Don't sleep.
02:09We're good.
02:10So we're going to meet Ashley.
02:11She's awesome.
02:12I know this one is my friend.
02:14This is my friend.
02:15She's like a women.
02:16I don't sleep.
02:46It's been a while now.
03:11Hey, what's up?
03:12Is a cat around?
03:14Hey, let's do it.
03:15Whoa.
03:16Whoa.
03:17Whoa.
03:18Whoa.
03:31This cultural phenomenon that no one was talking about.
03:35So, yeah.
03:36It's true.
03:37It's true.
03:38Yeah.
03:39Very, really good.
03:41These cats are woven into the fabric of New York City.
03:44And that's an important story to tell because I didn't think anyone was telling that story
03:48well enough.
03:49So, I started taking pictures of my local bodega cats.
03:52I started posting them on an Instagram account.
03:54And little by little, people started to catch wind.
03:57I had a few dozen followers, a couple hundred followers.
04:00And then people started sending me photos of their local bodega cats, which I thought was
04:04really interesting.
04:05Oh, Ralphie.
04:06Are you getting your close-up bugs?
04:08Yeah.
04:09What?
04:10This is a bodega.
04:11This is the water they had.
04:12Hold on.
04:13This is the water they had.
04:16Hi babies.
04:17Come here.
04:18So, they had no food.
04:23One of them was eating bugs.
04:25And they had water that had bugs coming out of it.
04:28And dirt.
04:29And, I mean, just disgusting.
04:32Often they will not feed them.
04:38And with the idea that they'll make them hungry enough to live on rats and mice that
04:44they catch.
04:45They think if the cat's hungry enough, it'll hunt more.
04:48And these cats are starved.
04:51Like, sometimes skin and bones.
04:53And don't even have the strength to hunt.
04:56Our communities, and what people don't see, is how many are neglected, abused, unwanted,
05:03never get veterinary care, end up having kittens, you know, on the street, in the back
05:09of the store.
05:10Kittens are given away.
05:11They're contributing every day to the outdoor cat population crisis that we're trying
05:15to tackle by reproducing, reproducing, reproducing.
05:20And it's just a major, major problem that is consuming our time as rescuers.
05:28You know.
05:29This is Jimmy.
05:30They thought Jimmy was a boy.
05:32That's why Jimmy is named Jimmy.
05:34But she is a girl.
05:36And she was living in a smoke shop in Greenpoint where many cats had been before and had different
05:45endings.
05:46And she's with us now because they don't want her back.
05:52Come on, baby.
05:53You got it.
05:54Come on.
05:55Come on.
06:02So this was another thing on my list of ways to protect animals.
06:07Okay.
06:08So there would be regulations around having them.
06:11So there would have to be visits to the veterinarian.
06:15They would have to be spayed or neutered.
06:18And that's very important because we have a massive overpopulation of cats.
06:24And, you know, if you adopt a cat and bring it to your home, you have the same obligations.
06:30So we want to ensure that the cats that live in the store, you know, have the same comforts
06:35and care as those who live in homes.
06:38And that's why we're not going to be in homes.
06:39Um.
06:40There's a botanical without a botanical cat.
06:41You've got to be kidding me.
06:42You've got to be kidding me.
06:43.
06:44.
06:45.
06:46.
06:47.
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07:34.
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