They're the flash of orange at the end of aisle. The snoozing presence by the cash register. The silent spectator to all your coffee, beer and candy purchases.
Time and again, bodega cats have captured our hearts and imaginations. These feisty felines are New York City's most loveable mascots, (not to mention the bane of your pup's existence).
Sunny Eckerle, a freelance artist who lives in Bed-Stuy, began illustrating portraits of Brooklyn bodega cats at the end of 2014 after mulling over the idea since first moving to Brooklyn five years ago.
"Every time I'd find a bodega cat, I'd write it down," said Eckerle, 26, who has two cats of her own, Vada and Willoughby.
The artist has a growing list of cats throughout the borough. While she's gone in search of furry subjects in the past, she's found it's best to let them find you.
"It's almost by chance that I end up finding them," she said. "I'll be buying a bottle of water and I turn around and there's a cat."
Her first illustration was of "Smoochie" who lived at Norman Avenue and Guernsey Street.
But Smoochie has since moved to Connecticut as the rising real estate prices drive out small business owners (and their cats.)
"Stuff just turns over so fast," she said.
You can find more bodega cat pictures from Eckerle at Brooklyn Bodega Cats or on Instagram.
BONUS: Because there's no such thing as too many bodega cats, here are photos from the best Instagram feed ever.