This Twitter account collects images of cats standing in front of small businesses as if they own them

You occasionally need to stop by a bodega to pick up some bread, toilet paper, or a late-night bag of sweets. They run the danger of missing out on that one little perfect reason that makes any trip to the bodega worthwhile because most people just pop in and out without giving it any thought. Yes, even when you are groggy-eyed and rushing to get milk for your coffee (and yourself!) early in the morning.

This is due to a bodega cat, sometimes known as the shop’s furry master, who approaches unaware customers from high up in the cookie aisle or from an unmarked box in the corner. Almost always, they are able to blend in with the surroundings, even if they occasionally hide in plain sight right close to the doors.

The Bodega Cats social media project is devoted to this distinctive corner store cat breed (well, It’s not technically a breed, but we like to think of it that way) and it gathers all the furry sightings made in bodegas throughout NYC, as well as other locations in the US and the rest of the world. It has amassed practically a cult following with a massive 1 million Twitter followers and 421k Instagram followers, and how could it not?

For the most recent batch of bodega cats, scroll below, and make sure to check out Blue Kingo ’s earlier posts here, here, and here.

More info: Bodegacats.nyc | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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The name of a meowzer is a telling clue that it is hidden. If you own a cat, you already know that most cats are known for having the purrfect vocal range. Therefore, you can be certain that any little “meow” coming from one of the bodega’s countless corners when you enter is directed at you. Because the meows are not accidental, according to Trudi Atkinson, a clinical animal behaviorist and book author.

We chatted with Atkinson to learn more about the intricate mechanics behind why and how cats meow, and we learned some pretty intriguing things. First of all, according to Atkinson, “a meow is a vocalization that appears to be used mostly in human-directed communication and far less in communication between cats (although they do use lots of other vocalizations such as friendly chirrups and not-so-friendly growls when communicating with each other”). The meow is therefore believed to be a byproduct of domestication and interaction with people, she continued.

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Furthermore, Atkinson added that “when directed at people, it is most frequently employed as a greeting or as a way of asking for attention and food, but it can also have other implications, such as being a sign that the cat is not feeling well”

A “meow,”however, is not a single unique vocalization. The expert added that each cat will produce different sounds, and each sound’s “meaning” will vary based on the situation and the “message” that the cat wants to get over. Unbelievable, according to Atkinson, “it is assumed that cats actually learn what sounds are most effective in attaining what they want, or the reaction they desire from their human carers”

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This may be intriguing to dog owners: According to Atkinson, this is significantly dissimilar to canine vocalizations. According to a 2005 study, most people can tell what a dog is trying to communicate when it barks (e.g., a warning bark, a fear bark, a play bark, etc.), even if they don’t know the dog or can’t even see it.

However, according to “other research, a cat’s meow does not demonstrate this.” Other individuals will be much less able to decipher the cat’s meows than the cat’s owner. The same owners’ ability to understand other cats’ meows will also be much diminished.

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So, to put it simply, cats meow most often to greet their human carers or to request food or attention. It’s not always obvious whether a cat is yowling or meowing excessively loudly enough to mean that anything is amiss. According to Atkinson, “it can depend a lot on the specific cat and the cat-human interaction”

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If you’ve ever wondered whether certain cats are better at “singing” than others, Atkinson asserted that some cats are undoubtedly louder than others. “Some breeds, particularly Siamese, Burmese, and some other Oriental cats, can be far more vocal than others. However, there may also be significant individual variance. And since every cat has a distinctive meowing voice, we might as well enter our furry friends in the Cat XFactor!

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