Park Slope Rallies After a Three Month Old Bodega Cat Disappears From Eight Street Mini Mart

Customers at the Eight Street Mini Mart in Park Slope are all asking the same question this week.

Jabal, a three month old white kitten with a brown smudge on his nose, is gone.

A couple was recorded on the store’s surveillance camera walking away with him at 7:18 a.m. on Thursday.

What the Camera Showed

Owner Imad Innab, 60, was outside setting up newspapers when the kitten slipped through the door.

The footage shows the man holding the cat away from his body, as though it was trying to get free.

Two customers went looking. Ken Park, 69, found the couple in Prospect Park and asked for the cat back. They refused. The woman had the kitten tucked inside her jacket.

They walked off. Park has been second guessing himself ever since, saying he could have done a better job of it.

The Detail that Explains Why Jabal is Still Missing

An NYPD spokesperson said Innab declined to file a police report because he did not want to press charges, Gothamist reported.

That decision is his to make. But it has consequences.

With no report, there is no case number, the footage sits outside any official file, and there is no formal route to get the kitten back if someone spots him.

The neighborhood has put up posters and taken it to Reddit. On paper, nothing has happened at all.

If a Pet is Taken

Confronting someone rarely works. Nobody who has taken an animal is going to hand it over because they were asked.

Photograph them from a distance, note which way they go, and call 911 while they are still in sight.

File a report even if you never want charges brought. The case number is what shelters, vets and police need before they can act on anything.

Ask for the surveillance footage right away. Most systems overwrite themselves within one to four weeks.

And get the microchip done before you need it. Jabal was three months old and came from a friend, which is exactly the situation where chipping tends to get postponed. A chip is often the only thing that brings an animal home a year later.

Why This Matters

Roughly 30 to 40% of New York City bodegas are thought to keep a cat.

Almost all of them are breaking the rules. City health code bars live animals from food businesses, with exceptions for service animals and fish in tanks. Cats are not on the list.

Fines run from $200 to $2,000, according to reporting on the issue. Inspectors often look the other way when a shop is clean, but the rule stands.

A bill introduced by Councilmember Keith Powers in late 2025 would protect shop cats and offer free vaccination and neutering. It is still sitting in committee.

Innab gave his own reason for not filing. Still, it is worth asking how easily any bodega owner can report a stolen cat when the city officially treats that cat as a violation.

Thirty Nine Years Behind the Counter

Innab has run the store since 1987. Jabal replaced Victoria, who worked the shop for 17 years. Her photo still hangs on the wall.

He named the kitten after his daughter. In Arabic, Jabal means mountain.

Does your corner shop have a cat, and do you know its name? Tell us in the comments.

For more rescue news and practical pet guides, follow Furry Found on X and Facebook.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. This is a developing story and details may change. Contact local police or animal services about a specific situation.