An upcoming book about the bodega cats of the city features one striking Downtown feline: Layla, the resident cat at Bull’s Mini Market at 18 Maiden Lane.

“Bodega Cats of New York: Portraits and Stories from New York City’s Working Cats” is by Dan Rimada, with photographs by Gulce Kilkis, including these here, and comes out November 3. Rimada has been collecting details and photos on bodega cats since 2022.

“Layla cleared mice from the basement, and when the family renovated, they matched the new floor to her coat,” Dan said when he sent me the press release. Here’s the excerpt:

“When the contractor asked what color he should use for the new floor, the owner pointed at Layla. ‘Make it look like Layla,’ he said.

The store had been closed before he took it over, and the basement was full of mice. He brought Layla in. According to him, within three days the mice were gone, and he has not seen one since. “They smell the cat,” he said. “They don’t come back.”

Layla now spends much of her time on a cat tree by the front window. She has pale eyes that can look almost white in certain light. Pedestrians stop to look for her, and some come inside just to see her. Customers bring toys and treats, enough that the store keeps a shelf of things bought for her.

The morning worker sees her with commuters, construction crews, and children on their way to school. By late afternoon she is less social, but people still check for her in the window on the walk home. The owner knows she brings people into the store and says so plainly.

The owner is from Yemen. Layla is a common name there, derived from the Arabic word for night. He gave her the name before he knew what she would do for the store.

When the store was remodeled, the contractor made the floor in colors that match Layla’s coat. Customers still ask whether the floor was chosen to match the cat or the cat was chosen to match the floor. Layla came first.”