Reddit poll exposes doggo double standard over pet presence in grocery establishments, why can cats chill while dogs are disgusting

Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor

Oct 17, 2026 8:15 AM EDT

The divide between doggos and cattos has never been wider than it is today. Chalk it up to both sides engraining themselves as the biological children of their millennial and gen x owners, or perhaps the separatist nature of social media. Whatever it is there has never been more distance between the two groups, as evidenced by this poll declaring that cats in bodegas are 3 times more likely to be accepted than doggos in grocery stores, sparking a heated debate about the morals and laurels of animals in food based establishments. Though as one reads through the comments, it is clearer to see why it is that hoomans have perhaps favored our feline friends rather than our canine companions.

We have all been there, sitting at a cafe or restaurant and along comes someone with a dog. Sure, on the face of it the feelings of jealeousy voer the comfort and cool of being able to bring oyur pup places overcome us. But in many cases we have had those emotions flipped upside down as said doggo has misbehaved and made someone fall or stolen some food from a table. Sure, it is not a common occurrence but it definitively divides cats and dogs into two categories. One that knows not to get near hoomans and their food and the other that sees an opportunity. And while this example might not exactly demonstrate the situation of a bodega cat and a grocery store pupper, it does go to show which animal is more likely to be trusted around food in general.

That being said there are several nuances to the bodega - grocery debate, namely around permanence and working roles. The former relates to the fact that bodega cats are relatively permanent fixtures in their stores and as a result are cleaner and more accustomed to the perhaps slightly crazy things that can happen in a store for hoomans. The latter relates to the fact that cats serve an actual purrpose in the bodegas they inhabit - keeping rats at bay. While in both circumstances dogs are not well versed in the rules of a hooman store, let alone a food one and while visiting they do little to fix the rat problem. So you have to ask the question as to whether there is any validity to this poll at all seeing as the two parties are completely separate in their intention and purpose. Perhaps if the question was regarding comparing having a bodega cat vs a bodega dog, or people bringing pet cats and dogs on grocery store visits there would be something to work with. But in this case it is clear that the internet has gone awry.

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01

via Ok-Personality9856
Well this poll is rather difinitive. People who do not mind bodega cats outnumber the people who are accepting of dogs in grocery store 3 to 1. It hardly gets more black and white than that, you can barely even aruge that there is enough abiguity to discredit the results. The question is, how did things get to be this way?
02

via Ok-Personality9856
03

via Danny__NYC
So this is a relativley fair point. Though as you might have seen in one of our recent stories not all bodega cats spend all of their time indoors. Whether it be due to being let out to roam freely or neglectful owners not keeping an eye on their fluffy shelf stockers.
04

via Ok-Personality9856
05

via lowongasineedajacket
This is one of the more fair opinions out there. Dogs do indeed come in many shapes, sizes and home situations and if they are coming in and out its not all too different to opening the bodega to every stray cat in the area. While a single bodega cat lives only in the bodega and is accustomed to it and the way it works. So in the same sense a bodega dog would not be an issue.
06

via Danny__NYC
07

via Ok-Personality9856
There is no denying that the communication dynamics between doggos and cattos are vastly different. Cattos could barely tower over even the tiniest of toddlers. While there are doggos who can easily topple even a full grown adult. Not to mention that the way a doggo behaves is directly tied to how their owner has trained them, which as we all know is not necessarily somerthing that pupper pawrents are too well known for…
08

via lowongasineedajacket
09

via Ok-Personality9856
The difference between their purrpose is quite significant too. Bodega cats, whether they actually do their job or not are meant to protect their establishment from a rat infestation. While the doggos that go into grocery stores are simply there for a pleasurable pupper visit.
10

via Ok-Personality9856
11

via DaimomoTheCat
Now this cannot be completely true, but there is something to be said for the kind of people who would bring their pup into such an establishment in the first place. Sure there are times when we are left with little other option. But if it is the case that someone simply decdies they will take their dog with them for the weekly shop, it does say a fair bit about them and their likelihood to be a poor pawrent.
12

via Ok-Personality9856
13

via lowongasineedajacket
There is of course something that both of these arguments are missing, and that is the fact that some people cannot tollerate dogs or cats. Leaving them in the uncomfortable position of barely being able to breathe.
14

via Ok-Personality9856
15

via DaimomoTheCat
So while the poll might be a little anti-dog in the way it is represented, one must take into account the usefulness of a cat in the bodega versus a dog out for a bit of fun roaming around the grocery store. Sure there are a lot of different ways to keep rats at bay, but many of them are harmful to our local ecology. So it might not be all to doggo friendly but we can certainly understand where the arguement for bodega cats comes from.
16

via Ok-Personality9856
17

via Danny__NYC