Man ‘steals’ seemingly neglected deli cat, but community pressure forces him to return the feline, sparking controversy over appropriate action

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Oct 13, 2026 3:00 PM EDT

The bodega cat has become quite the staple of New York life. Romanticized by the many social media accounts that interview and celebrate these felines, many residents of the area travel significant distances just to cross paths with these internet celebrities. But in this story the true life of one bodega cat is exposed as a cat lover takes matters into their own hands. You see, while this story begins by focusing on the online outcry that a community's favorite feline had been stolen, the truth was far more nuanced than that. So much so that the so-called thief stepped forward to shed some light on the situation as he saw it. He explained that he himself had caught and returned the cat after finding it scared and confused far from the store on several occasions. And it was not only him who had done so, several community members had done the same. Suggesting that this beloved feline was actually being neglected and was in danger of being injured or worse while out on its own.

I have heard of stories like this many times over. Usually it is a private person who is neglecting their indoor cat by pushing them outdoors or neglecting to ensure all escape routes are closed, but this happens more than you might think. Under the guise that some people put on cats as being independent creatures that can survive anything on their own, some hoomans simply do not care if their cat gets loose and wanders their neighborhood. Now, sure this might be ok for a cat who came from the streets, who knows what a moving car can do to them, who can sense when a malicious hooman is coming their way. But for an innocent indoor cat who knows barely anything about the big bad world that exists outside of the four walls that constitute its life, well, the story is simply not the same. And therein lies our question, what do you do when you have rescued the same cat several times and every time you bring it back you are lied to and told the cat is fine when you can clearly see it is not?

These matters are incredibly complicated as animal ownership laws do not protect pets enough from neglectful owners. Instead they tend to side with the owners and treat the animal as property. Meaning that even if a cat is being mistreated and subjected to dangerous conditions, there is no legal justification for removing the feline. In turn that means that not the police, animal control or rescues can get involved to help. I have pawsonally seen this happen with my own eyes and cried many nights over the poor felines who I would never be able to help, only to return to the four walls that barely contain or care for them. So I hope that as you dive into this incredibly juicy story that you keep in mind that what John has done is something that almost any good cat lover would do, or want to do after seeing a feline in peril so many times over. It might not have been legal, it might not have been justified, but this story really does raise some flags over what should be done to better pawtect the beloved cats and animals we all want to see being treated fairly. 
 

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  • 01
    "John is not a bad guy. He acted impulsively and is perhaps a bit misguided, but I don't believe for a second he meant Boka or the community any harm."
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    Bodega worker on knees welcoming cat.

    Still frame for contextual reference only.


     

  • 02
    Park Slope bodega cat has been kidnapped -- boosting in hopes to get our neighborhood treasure back home! by u/spacepuck I think it was targeted -- the bodega owners noted that the guy was hanging around outside for a
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  • 03
    while waiting for Boka to come out, peeking inside and hiding around the corner. Boka The Bodega Cat by u/Consistent-Brief7260 I was quite familiar with Boka, the adorable Russian-blue kitten who lived at the Green Olive
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  • 04
    Deli. I'd often go there instead of a closer bodega, just to give him scritches and a quick hello. So when I saw on his Instagram account that he had been taken, I was of course heart- broken. Like many others, I reposted the now iconic photos of the man lurking. outside and scooping him up, pleading to my social network that someone
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  • 05
    must know who this man is...so, let's bring Boka back. Imagine my surprise when a friend texted that he felt gut-punched when he recognized the man in my Instagram post as someone he knows. I begged my friend to reach out to this man, let's call him John* (not his real name) and ask
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  • 06
    invest this is about ME
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  • 07
    him to return Boka. My friend got back to me saying that John refused to give the cat back and had his reasons. See, John is not on social media at all (like, zero) and had NO IDEA of the extent of the outcry for his head, and for the return of Boka. So I asked to speak to John, offered my phone number and he called me from a blocked number.
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  • Well, this is certainly quite the heated situation that John has found himself in. So far it is clear to see that the community is outraged and that this cat that has been taken was an integral part of the fabric of this community. However, there is some missing evidence, namely motive. Sure, John might have had some sort of reason to stalk the bodega and wait for an opportunity to steal this cat, but without knowing said reason, these cries for his head are nothing more than a witch hunt over nothing. Social media is all too quick to get on its high horse without checking to see what the full picture is. 
     

  • 08
    John's statement (condensed): My empathy for the owner is real, but complicated by what follows. The cat in question had no collar or tag. The cat has been returned by me three previous times to the store; and in so doing, many other notable facts have been learned. I have interacted in a substantive way with the staff leading up to what is described next. In short, they know who I
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  • 09
    am. About two months ago I found the cat wandering down 9th street, on the west bound side of the street, in the bike lane, at almost 6th Avenue, at about 9pm, crying and confused. I returned him and suggested they need to get him a collar and identification tags. They explained he does not go outside, and I believed them as the first time I ever saw the cat was on a leash outside the store at 6am.
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  • 10
    MADISON SAT Stolen Cat, Boka, Returned To Owner At Brooklyn Deli 89 SUN 94 MON. 96 TUE 95 WED 88 CBSNewYork.com 89° 6:12 PM
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    Two weeks later I found him at ≈ 10:30pm across the street from the store ~ coming from the open pit construction site on the westbound side of 7th avenue ~ in what is now an alleyway leading to the donut shop, again due to the construction.
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    About a month ago, on a Saturday, as I was walking down 8th street, I noticed him again, yet this time he was wandering towards the back wheels of a car that was parallel parking. I picked him up and returned him again. And while
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  • 13
    doing so, another neighbor who was walking his dog and just happened to see me returning him, remarked that the cat had been missing for some time; to the extent that the person stopped asking in the store about him, fearing the worst. I also
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  • 14
    learned from this individual, his absence was because he had been picked up by another person, brought to a shelter in Manhattan and had just been returned, I think the same day this episode was unfolding, still no collar, no identification tags. This individual explained that he had returned him several times as well.
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  • 15
    Takis CLAMI
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  • 16
    The path I've chosen has forced to the surface for me many moral questions specific to stewardship of animals, animals as property, and the responsibilities of humans within a community, as they witness these happenings. Moreover, the cat could have just as easily been taken at prior times, or under the cover of darkness, or why wasn't the mask in my hand used as well as the sunglasses and hooded sweatshirt in my shoulder bag?
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  • Well, dang this is quite the conundrum. So it seems that this bodega has been failing miserably at pawtecting the very feline that has been bringing in a whole heap of business to their store. Essentially treating it like a mascot during opening hours and as a disposable entity outside of them. Considering how many times just John has saved this poor confused cat’s life it is a miracle that nothing worse has happened and that a rescue or animal control had not gotten their hands on the cat while out on the tough streets of New York.
     

  • 17
    Lots of progress was made, and I got him to agree to allow me to return Boka on his behalf Friday evening, to avoid a confrontation with the deli owners. And, to allow him the opportunity to tell his side of the story to the press. Even though I strongly urged that he allow me to take Boka back immediately, the best I could do was to
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  • 18
    have him think about it overnight. Sure enough, the next morning, he called me at 8am and said he had secured an interview with a major news outlet, and he wanted to explore that, but still intended on returning Boka in the evening. My husband looped the bodega owners in and said we would be bringing Boka
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  • 19
    kediboka 20h ANDURES ON SALE HERE If anyone knows or sees this guy please let me know..
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  • 20
    back as soon as possible. They seemed cautiously optimistic. Much nail-biting and hand-ringing occurred throughout the day. Finally, I received a very anxious phone call from John at 5pm, saying that someone recognized him on the street, the heat of the story got to be just too much, and said I
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  • 21
    should get Boka out of his home immediately. My husband and I rushed over there and packed up the kitty (after I snuggled him for a good minute or two, which he happily accepted) and made our way to the bodega. I want to stress that Boka was in a very safe place and was well taken care of.
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  • 22
    The bodega was quiet. Flyers of John's face were at the register, and I asked the man at the counter if he was missing a cat. He said "yes, cat was stolen". I pulled out the carrier and said, "well do you want this one?". I could see the realization swell into his face, his eyes opening wider and wider, and he put both hands on his head. He yelled out in delight,
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  • 23
    grabbed his phone and came around to make sure it was in fact Boka. There was a woman in the bodega working on her computer. She stood up in disbelief, tears welling in her eyes and spilling over. She asked over and over again, "is this really him?". She explained that she had taken the day off work to help the owners, even though she lived in
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  • 24
    kediboka 20h 07/29/2022 16:34:56 PULL MYLE SOLD HERE
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    Jersey City, as this story really touched her. She was very emotional and gave me a hug. So many people helped to bring Boka home that day. Yes I helped, but so did my husband, my friend who IDed John, the sweet woman in the store investigating the catnapping, and the countless people who posted, reposted, printed
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    flyers, and asked around. *John is not a bad guy. He acted impulsively and is perhaps a bit misguided, but I don't believe for a second he meant Boka or the community any harm. Cat rescue can come in several different forms. Rarely it's about negotiating the release of a stolen bodega cat. More
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    commonly it's way less glamourous in the thankless work of TNR (trap-neuter-return), or fostering a friendly stray, or adopting an older cat with medical issues. If this story touched your heart in some way, please consider supporting these incredible local cat-rescue organizations with a donation, or even just a social media follow. Let's keep the Boka love going.
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  • 28
    kediboka 20h * He just stole him and walked away
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community neglect new york Bodega Cats kidnapping
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