Comedian Michelladonna Hosts New Series, 'Shop Cats'

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – "Comedian Michelladonna Hosts New Series, 'Shop Cats'"

Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Michelle Adana (Comedian, actor, creator of Shop Cats)
Air Date: September 19, 2024

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Overview

In this lively and affectionate episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart chats with comedian and actor Michelle Adana about her new TikTok series, Shop Cats. The show offers an intimate, often hilarious, and always sweet portrait of bodega cats—the famously unofficial feline mascots of New York City’s corner stores. Michelle shares behind-the-scenes stories, highlights the connection between cats, communities, and local culture, and hears from listeners with their own shop cat tales.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Birth of Shop Cats (03:09)

• Michelle Adana shares the origin story: The production company Mad Realities approached her with the idea, seeing her as a natural fit due to her New Yorker roots and outgoing personality. Michelle immediately resonated with the project, being a frequent bodega patron herself.
• Quote:

  "I'm a native New Yorker, I go into a bodega, like, all the time, every day, multiple times a day... It aligns so well. Let's get it done."
  — Michelle Adana (03:15)

Why Bodega Cats Are Special (04:01)

• Cultural icons: Michelle describes them as “managers” with plenty of “authority," sometimes sweet, sometimes sassy, but always quintessentially New York.
• Practical role: "And also for the rats, you know."
• Quote:

  "It's because New York City is us, and the cats are part of our culture, part of our history."
  — Michelle Adana (04:16)

Approaching Stores & Filming (04:46)

• Organic process: Michelle usually enters stores solo to build rapport with owners before filming starts. Most are initially bemused but warm up quickly.
• Real New York reactions: Owners aren’t fame-seeking; they just care about “selling their sandwiches.”
• Quote:

  "They're very much like, okay, fine, this is interesting. You're kind of weird, interesting girl, but you're pretty. Let's do it."
  — Michelle Adana (05:36)

Michelle’s On-Screen Persona & Style (06:05)

• Authenticity: Michelle’s style reflects the “New York baddie”—streetwear, thrift pieces, signature long ponytail, and bold makeup. She feels fashion is a core part of her identity and work.
• Fun with fashion: Brings her personality (“Tim’s on screen!”) to the show.

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Memorable Bodega Cats: Stories & Clips

Smokey the Diva (01:33–02:16)

• Story: Smokey, a shy but beloved bodega cat, waits every day for one of the regulars.
• Quote:

  "Smokey waits for you when you come in every day. Look at the smile on your face. You love that cat."
  — Michelle Adana (02:09)

Ice Spice (09:12–11:01)

• Story: Ice Spice, an orange-and-white cat, has multiple names depending on which customer you ask (“Ice Spice,” “Iceberg,” “Isa”). The community is deeply connected to the cat.

• Quote:

  "People from neighborhood, they're, oh, that's Ice Spice. They love her... I call her Iceberg because she's cool."
  — Bodega Owner (10:33)

• Cultural insight: Many bodegas, especially Spanish-speaking ones, have their own nicknames for their cats (“Mija”), reflecting neighborhood diversity and community ties.

Tutu the Sweet Hunter (12:20–14:38)

• Story: Tutu is a gentle “hunter” who is the object of affection for both staff and customers; one worker, Mohamed, leaves shelves empty for Tutu’s comfort.
• Neighborhood love: "Everybody...they just come sit there and we think they're trying to shop, but they're not really shopping. They're just playing with Tutu." — Mohamed (14:24)
• Defining quote:

  “The iconic thing about bodegas is cats. Bodega doesn't have a cat, that's not a bodega.”
  — Mohamed (14:33)

Community Stories (07:26, 14:47, 17:36)

• Listeners call in:
  • Sherry shares about a black-and-white shop cat at her home improvement store (07:33).
  • Virginia, 83, tells of “Pepsi Cola,” the matriarch of her childhood family grocery (14:55–15:52).
  • Texts include: Tigre the wine store cat, and Oliver, an orange tabby at Zigoni Brothers (17:36).

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The Power and Joy of Bodega Cats

Michelle’s Reflections on the Series (16:05)

• Serendipitous career: Michelle credits her background in comedy and improv and her love of community for making her the ideal host.
• Positive community response: Michelle notes the warmth and support online, emphasizing the “community that is forming around supporting the cats and loving the cats.”
• Quote:

  “It just brightens so many people's days... I really love putting positive energy out there and just, you know, everything to do with love and, and, and energy.”
  — Michelle Adana (16:54)

• Her vision:

  “I've been saying this is like MTV Cribs meets Steve Irwin. I'm like, what animal next? You know what I'm saying? Like, let's go talk to a tiger, period.”
  — Michelle Adana (17:26)

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Standout Quotes & Moments

• On New York style and identity:

  "That is just the New York baddie... a lot of her fashion influence from the streets of New York from the thrift shop."
  — Michelle Adana (06:07)

• On community ties:

  "This is what love looks like in New York City. Okay? There is no one that's going to love you more than your bodega cat."
  — Michelle Adana (14:38)

• On bodega cats’ authority:

  "They honestly have so much authority, because most of them are the managers."
  — Michelle Adana (04:07)

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Useful Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------|------------| | Smokey’s Story | 01:33–02:16| | Origin of Shop Cats Series | 03:09 | | Why Bodega Cats Matter | 04:01 | | Michelle’s Fashion & On-Screen Style | 06:05 | | Sherry’s Shop Cat Story (caller) | 07:26 | | Ice Spice (and multiple names) | 09:12–11:01| | Tutu & Mohamed: Community and Love | 12:20–14:38| | Virginia’s Childhood Cat Story (caller) | 14:47–15:52| | Michelle on Becoming the Host | 16:05 | | Community Text Ins: Tigre and Oliver | 17:36 |

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Episode Takeaways

• Shop Cats is more than internet animal content: it’s a loving showcase of New York’s unique neighborhoods, highlighting the tenderness and humor that bodega cats inspire in humans around them.
• The show supports community bonds, celebrates local culture, and offers a joyous, positive antidote to the internet’s negativity.
• Michelle’s authentic New York style and voice make her the perfect guide to the city’s furriest “managers.”

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Listen to Shop Cats on TikTok, and share your own bodega or shop cat story!

Transcript

[Michelle Adana]

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Today we have a perfectly delightful treat for you. A new TikTok series dives into the whimsical world of bodega cats, those furry four legged guardians of your local corner store. It's called Shop Shop Cats. In the series, actor, comedian and producer Michelle Adana takes us on a journey while she interviews bodega owners and shoppers and, well, cats about their stories. It goes something like this.

[Michelle Adana]

Smokey, walk with mommy. Yeah. No. Smokey, come on. I just heard there was a really cute bodega cat in here. We have to go see. Where's your bodega cat? Z? What's his name? Smokey. He's hiding, cuz. He's a diva. Smokey, get your ass out here. Smokey, I found. Okay, we're gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna come here. I haven't seen you in a while. What's up, man? How did you get Smokey? Where did you get Smokey? From the old man. He bring him over here.

[Caller]

They name him Smokey.

[Michelle Adana]

He's an owner.

[Caller]

He bring it.

[Michelle Adana]

Does he make you happy?

[Alison Stewart]

He makes me happy every day before I see him.

[Michelle Adana]

Smokey waits for you when you come in every day. Look at the smile on your face. You love that cat. Yes, you do.

[Alison Stewart]

The show's creator, Michelle Adana, joins me now to discuss. She's the host of the podcast Bodega Chat with Michelle Adonna, and I'm a Finn and talk workshops and open mics for Black and Brow in New York. Michelle Adana, welcome to all of it.

[Michelle Adana]

Hi. Thank you for having me.

[Alison Stewart]

Hey, listeners. We want to hear about your local bodega cat. Tell us their name, what kind of cat are they? What colors their fur? How long have you been lounging around? How long have they been lounging around the store? 212-433-969-2212, wnyc. Or you can reach out to us on social media at all of at wnyc. Or maybe you want to pitch your bodega cat to Michelle Adana. Tell us why your cat brings you joy. 212-439-6922-2433, WNYC. You can call that number and you can text that number. What inspired you to start the series Shop Cats?

[Michelle Adana]

Hi. Okay. Thank you so much for having me. Okay. My. So I've, I'm from New York City, born and raised, Queens, Ridgewood. Stand up. And we, you know, mad reality is the production company I'm working with actually reached out to me and pitched me this, and it kind of made so much sense to me that I was like, yes, let's do this right now. Because I'm a native New Yorker, I go into a bodega, like, all the time, every day, multiple times a day, and it just makes so much sense. I love a bodega cat. I love talking to the people who are in the bodega who run the bodega. I'm so talkative, and I'm like, this is perfect. It aligns so well. Let's get it done. So that's how we. How it all came to be. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

So why do you think bodega cats are so special?

[Michelle Adana]

Because they honestly have so much authority, because most of them are the managers. And then they could also be super sweet, you know, so it's just so iconic of New York City. I mean, I don't know. No shade. Does Iowa have bodega cats? No. It's because is New York City is us, and the cats are part of our culture, part of our history. And yeah, they. And also for the rats, you know.

[Alison Stewart]

That'S for the rats. How do stores, how do store owners approach you when you all get together and say, hey, you want to feature your cat?

[Michelle Adana]

Yeah, it's honestly super organic. It's very New York. Usually I'm the only one that goes in to talk because I want to talk to them before the camera comes in. Because obviously, if you're shy or don't know what's going on, this might feel like a little bit of an ambush. So I usually go in, I talk to folks, you know, one on one, uncle to uncle. Hey, brother. Like, how you doing, papi? Like, let's. Let's see how this works. And, yeah, little by little, they'll start asking me questions like, what do you want to ask? I'll be like, I just want to ask about the cat and how you feel about the cat and your bodega. And they're like, okay, fine. They're just like, I'm still going to do business while I. While you interview me. And I'm like, absolutely. I would never want to disrupt you. So that's how it usually is. None of these bodega or no owners or any of the shops that we go to are, like, reaching out, like influencers. No, they just sell their sandwiches and move on with their day. So they're very much like, okay, fine, this is interesting. You're kind of weird, interesting girl, but you're pretty. Let's do it.

[Alison Stewart]

I was going to ask you about your presentation. You have a definite presentation. When you were doing Shop Cats, how would you describe it?

[Michelle Adana]

Yes, I will say that's just me. Like, that is just the New York baddie. That is a girl who, you know, gets a lot of her fashion influence from the streets of New York from. From the thrift shop, you know, and it's very. It's very me. I have to feel comfortable in the clothes I'm wearing, and so I always make sure to do that. And, you know, playing around with, you know, what. What a woman. A woman in New York looks like, doing this, I always will have my staple of, you know, long ponytail and a face that is beat to the gods. So that will always be there. But, yeah, I love bright colors. I love streetwear. I love fashion that is, you know, inclusive, and I feel like is made for myself. And, you know, I cut a lot of my shirts that I crop on it, you know, so that's how I present myself. And I'm having a lot of fun just exploring it. I'm using my Tim's. I'm so happy to be bringing my Tim's onto the screen and let the people know what it's really about. So, yeah, a lot of fun. I've been having a lot of fun, just also playing around with that and, you know, really having the opportunity to play around with. With fashion. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's take a call. Sherry from Garden City is calling in. Hi, Sherry. Thank you so much for making a call.

[Michelle Adana]

Hi.

[Caller]

So cool to be on the radio with you guys. Thank you.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. Tell me about your. Your bodega cat.

[Caller]

Well, it's not quite a bodega, but it's A loath home improvement store, and we have a cat that has been in the store longer than most of the employees. She's a black and white, and she is awesome. In the summer, she sleeps outside in the garden center. In the winter, she finds herself some shelf to sleep on every night, and we hunt for her every day and make sure she's okay. We feed her and take care of her. She takes care of us.

[Alison Stewart]

Does she actually sleep in the store overnight?

[Caller]

Yep, she does.

[Alison Stewart]

And y' all feed her.

[Caller]

We do love that story.

[Alison Stewart]

Sheri, thanks for calling.

[Caller]

I love that.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. My guest is Michella Donna. We're talking about a new show that introduces viewers to some of the city's most adorable, playful, and furry store attendants. It is called Shop Cats. It's on TikTok. By the way, we also want to hear about your local bodega cat. Tell us their name. What kind of cat are they? What kind of fur do they have? 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Or you want to pitch a bodega cat to Michelle? Michelle Adana, you can do that, too. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. All right, we're gonna. We're gonna dive into the show a little bit. The first cat we're gonna hear about is Ice Spice.

[Michelle Adana]

Tell me about Ice, Period.

[Alison Stewart]

Period.

[Michelle Adana]

Yeah, Ice Spice was fun, because actually, what people don't know is that so basically is this cat who is white and orange. And so basically, because of the orange, they named the cat Ice Spice after the rapper and this cat. It was so funny because when I walked into the bodega and I asked. Asked the. The owner, like, where is the cat? He was like, now the cat is outside. It's walking around the park. There was a park across the street. So we went outside, looked around the park. Like, literally there wasn't any cat there. So I went back and I was like, where's your cat again? And it was right there sitting, like, on top of, like, his counter. And it was really sweet because it really showed me, like, the community was there. And they would stop by and pet the cat and then go on with their day. And it was so lovely. Like, that's what. That's what bodega cats are all about. It's. They. They're stable, people know who they are, and people go out of their way to go say hi to them and pet them. But, yeah, Ice Spice was so silly, and it was so Funny, because everyone had a different name for the cat.

[Alison Stewart]

We actually have that clip. We have that clip. This is from the Ice Spice episode.

[Michelle Adana]

What's the cat's name? Ice Spice. Why did you name the cat Ice Spice? She got the color, like with the hair, like on the color on top with the cut. People from neighborhood, they're, oh, that's Ice Spice. They love her. Do you come in here a lot? I come in here a lot. You pet her? You play around with her? I do. Look. Do you know the cat's name? Iceberg. Iceberg. I call her Iceberg because she's cool. What was the cat's name?

[Alison Stewart]

Isa.

[Michelle Adana]

I've heard three different names today.

[Alison Stewart]

Do you have that happen a lot where the names are all different?

[Michelle Adana]

Yeah. You know what I've been realizing is that it depends, like, it's just like you. They'll be like, oh, that's just the cat. That's just like miss means or something like that. And then. Yeah, and it depends, like, when I've gone to Spanish speaking bodegas, they'll be like, that's just Mija. And me has just like girl or like daughter in Spanish. I'm like, okay. So yeah, people have different nicknames for them.

[Alison Stewart]

How cooperative are the cats when you're filming?

[Michelle Adana]

Really, it is a. Is rolling the dice. You do not know until you get there. And it depends because I've had some cats, like Smokey, he was so shy, but he's so lovable when, you know, when we're all chilling. But then there will be some cats that automatically they want to play like little kitten kittens. They love playing. They want to be all around you. They're so curious. So I'm thinking now, I guess with the research I've done of like going and doing these things, is that the older the cat, the less they might want to play. And the younger they are, the more active and curious they are to be all around and just like in your face. So that's what I've seen so far.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk about Tutu. How would you describe Tutu's personality?

[Michelle Adana]

I would say Tutu was a very sweet girl. Even if they weren't actually a girl. They were very sweet and were a little bit of a hunter, was like a little scaredy cat, but it's okay. But Tutu was so sweet. And you could see that when you saw how Muhammad interacted with Tutu, which was one of the workers at the bodega. He loved that cat. And I was like, oh, my God. That's so sweet. And you know, in the comments, it was so beautiful to see a whole the community really coming together and being like, I know Tutu, that's my bodega cat. And that's what's so beautiful about this show is the community that is forming around supporting the cats and loving the cats. It's so beautiful to see because, you know, the Internet is crazy. There's so many things going on and there's a lot of negative stuff on there. But this show has been so beautiful to see how positive and warm everyone's feedback is. It's really, truly so beautiful. So Tutu was such a sweet girl and is loved by the community.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, let's listen to the episode featuring Tutu. In this clip, you talk to one of the store employees you mentioned in Muhammad about the store's cat.

[Michelle Adana]

What's your name?

[Mohamed]

Mohamed.

[Michelle Adana]

Do you work here?

[Mohamed]

Yeah.

[Michelle Adana]

Did you always like cats?

[Mohamed]

Since I was young. Just like when you call them, just give them your hand. Once they sniff your hand, they just know.

[Michelle Adana]

They just know, period. We're gonna see if Tutu can hunt or if she's a gatherer. So you see a mouse, what do you do? What do you do? Tutu's hunting is explained by this. I like how Tutu hisses. Very real, very scary. Sometimes you get like a little bit. Where does he hang out?

[Mohamed]

Usually Chip shelf right here. We just leave it empty. We just fill up these shelves. Cuz sometimes he's scratching and he opened them. I'm sick.

[Michelle Adana]

And the neighborhood loves Tutu.

[Mohamed]

Yeah, everybody, especially in the shelf, they just come sit there and we think they're trying to shop, but they're not really shopping. They're just playing with Tutu.

[Michelle Adana]

You ever go into a bodega just to play with the bodega cat?

[Mohamed]

All of us. The iconic thing about bodegas is cats. Bodega doesn't have a cat. That's not a bodega.

[Michelle Adana]

It's not a bodega. Absolutely. This is what love looks like in New York City. Okay. There is no one that's going to love you more than your bodega cat.

[Alison Stewart]

That is from Shop Cats. Hey, we got a call from Virginia from Manhattan. Hi, Virginia, thanks for calling.

[Caller]

Yeah, hi. You can hear me, right?

[Alison Stewart]

I sure can.

[Caller]

Good. Well, I. I grew up with above a grocery store that my parents owned. And it wasn't called a bodega because they were. They weren't Hispanic. But it was many years ago and we had a multitude of cats over the years that we had to store. But my one favorite cat and the one we've had, we had the longest. Her name was Pepsi Cola, Pepsi for short. And she had many kittens, I think two or three litters, because we didn't know how appropriate it was to spay our animals at that time. But I love that cat. And she ruled the store. Except my dad ruled her.

[Alison Stewart]

Thank you so much for calling in. Virginia's 83 years old, by the way. Thank you so much for making that call, Michelle. Adana, how does, how do you become a host of a cat show? Sounds like a good gig to me.

[Michelle Adana]

Yeah, well, I've been doing standup improv, sketch acting, all of the above for a while. And I think, you know, universe aligned it for me that, you know, Sandy, which Sandy, by the way, loves you, Alison. This is a shout out Sandy at Mad Realities. Absolutely loves you. And she reached out to me and found me, me through word of mouth. And they. Yeah, and then it was like a match because I loved the idea and I thought this was a great way to really bring, you know, to really highlight my community. Because a lot of times people see us like New Yorkers. I mean, they see us and they think we're big and bad and scary and it's. We just running late for real. Like, we care so much about everything. We're just running late and we don't got time to, you know, go around the bushes about it. So, yeah, that's how it really came to be. And I love it. I mean, I, I am absolutely loving it because it is again, it just brightens so many people's days. And, and I really love putting positive energy out there and just, you know, everything to do with love and, and, and energy. So I'm loving it. It's an awesome gig and I hope you know this. I, I've been saying this is like MTV Cribs meets Steve Irwin. I'm like, what animal next? You know what I'm saying? Like, let's go talk to a tiger, period.

[Alison Stewart]

We got a couple of texts here. I have a wine store in Washington Heights, Tigre and a street cat who adopted us. He is the main draw. People just come to catch a glimpse. His name is Buddy. Thank you so much for calling in. Kate says my local bodega cat is an orange tabby named Oliver. He greets all the people coming in the shop at Zigoni Brothers, the bodega on Columbus Avenue and 82nd street, like, sleeping on boxes, chasing coins around the store, and sitting out in the sun. Sounds like good bodega cat to me.

[Michelle Adana]

Yeah, it sounds like he's doing his job. He's making sure that people are accounted for. Absolutely.

[Alison Stewart]

If you want to see the show, it's called Shop cats available on TikTok. We've been talking with Michelle Adana. Thank you so much for sharing your bodega cats with us.

[Michelle Adana]

Thank you. Yeah, go listen. And if it's not even a bodega cat, it could be a shop cat too. So let us know in the comments. Wherever we're listening to you. We want to go to your favorite cat and we want to see what their story is. So thank you so much for the support too.

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