Jabal, a 3-month-old bodega cat, has been safely reunited with his owner after Park Slope residents rallied to help find him, following his disappearance from a neighborhood market, as reported by The Guardian.
Jabal went missing Sept. 10 from Eighth Street Mini Market in Park Slope after surveillance video showed a man and woman picking him up outside the store and leaving with him.
Store owner Imad “Jimmy” Innab and his family offered a $500 no-questions-asked reward for Jabal’s safe return, while neighbors distributed posters, canvassed the area and shared updates online.
Dan Janzen, who lives across the street from Eighth Street Mini Market, spoke affectionately about Innab.
“As much as we love the kitten, we love him more,” Janzen said. “We were rallying around him to keep his hopes up.”
The search gained momentum through local media coverage and Reddit, where posts about Jabal’s disappearance drew widespread attention. Five days after he went missing, the market received a call from someone who said they knew where Jabal was, and that he would be returned from Bushwick.
Jabal was brought to a New York Police Department precinct in Park Slope by the stepson of the woman seen leaving with him. Police then returned the kitten to Innab at the market.
The reunion was especially meaningful for Innab, whose previous bodega cat, Victoria, died in June after 17 years at the store. Innab had taken in Jabal as Victoria’s successor, and the kitten was scheduled to receive a microchip containing identification information.
Bodega cats have long been a familiar part of New York City’s neighborhood culture, often serving as companions and mascots for local stores while helping control pests. Jabal’s disappearance and return also demonstrated the close ties between the Eighth Street Mini Market and its Park Slope customers.
Police said they arrested 58-year-old Bushwick resident Mary Sierra in connection with Jabal’s disappearance. She faces charges including petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and companion animal stealing, according to police. Sierra has denied stealing the kitten.
Jabal is now back at Eighth Street Mini Market, where he has resumed life with Innab and the neighborhood that rallied to bring him home.
