Watch: What's It Like To Be A Bodega Cat In New York City?

Bodega cats are a vital part of bodega culture, health code be damned. They're incredibly useful for keeping the rodent population at bay, and they tend to be pretty friendly and social from interacting with customers all day.

There's also nothing better to brighten your morning breakfast sandwich pick-up, or your late-night beer run, than the sight of a fluffy little deli cat.

Recently, New York Public Radio station WYNC took it upon itself to find out what bodega cats are thinking, "In Their Own Words."

This week, New York City also became the first city in North America to host a cat café, which is live-streaming right now from Bowery Street. Was the humble bodega cat the inspiration for the American cat café all along? Perhaps.

In any case, meet some of the bodega cats of New York:

Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.