Bwogger Sam Losee hasn’t seen her favorite bodega cat lately, and this is deeply upsetting to her. She hopes this post will help her find him, or at least ease the yearning.

You must have seen him before. Maybe it was only in passing, a touch of eye contact as you walked by, you on your way to Famiglia and him on his way to Hex & Co. Or maybe you know him a little better. You stumbled down from the Heights one night, joyous to have descended safely, and there he was, waiting to congratulate you. You scratched his soft little head for a moment before making your way home. Your friend took a picture of you both that made it onto your instagram story, and that’s all you saw of him for a while. You had a great time but you’re both okay with not seeing each other, if you’re being honest.

Or maybe, just maybe, you don’t just know him. You adore him. You saw him for the first time when you were walking home to Carlton Arms in early September, his shapely figure painted in golden hour sunbeam. He was sprawled across the bench outside of Samad’s Gourmet, where you joined him for a moment to rub your thumb over his puffy cheeks. During a warm spell, you would spy him most mornings on your way to class. Actually, you would purposely walk on that side of the street so you would have a chance to see him. To your delight, he would greet you enthusiastically every time. When it got colder and he didn’t spend much time outside, you started buying bacon-egg-and-cheeses from Samad’s so you could spend five more minutes with him. If he was in the store with you, he would hurry over, winding around your legs and hopping into your lap if you sat on the floor. He’d purr as you scratched his ears and chin, and nothing was harder than gently pushing him off of you so you could grab your sandwich and head to the checkout counter. “He really likes you!” the guy at checkout said. You asked for the cat’s name. “Poncho,” he said. What a cute ass name. That’s the last you saw of him for a while, and just like the saying goes, absence made the heart grow fonder. You noticed there is a picture of him on the wall at Samad’s. You thought about getting one of those yourself. Still weeks pass, with nothing, not even a meow. You saw he had been banned from Hex & Co. Their loss. You don’t even see him on other’s people’s stories. What happened to him? Where is he? Where is Poncho?

Ok, yes. I am the last one. But I know I’m not alone. After witnessing the glory of this cat, feeling his thicc body in your arms and his soft fur against your leg, hearing his sweet voice and his gentle thump onto the floor, how could one not love Poncho? Not only is he the most friendly individual in the Columbia bubble, he literally exudes good will. Every time I see him, I have a good day. They should add a superstition opposing the black cat one: if Poncho crosses your path, you will have good luck, happiness, and productivity. He is well known as a famous figure even in dog-person circles, which is a lot considering dog people are…like that. Poncho is also great for my mental health, providing all the benefits of a therapy cat without living with me and making my suitemates itchy. He is a talking point that has helped me bond with people. I have brought him up in interviews and poems. I’m thinking of asking my sister to paint him for me. Are you starting to see why I care so much about finding Poncho?

Maybe this is all because Poncho is the closest thing I have ever had to owning a cat, which I know is quite tragic. Or maybe Pisces season is offering a new kind of emotional insanity to me this year that no one else should have had to experience (I’m sorry). But I have to know: have you seen Poncho? Do you know where I can reach him? Do you think he can read this? I am sure he is very wise and fluent in many languages, but I worry about his access to internet. Can you help him out?

For those of you who are also missing the best bodega cat in MoHi, I hope the yearning is manageable. And to those of you who still have no idea what I’m talking about, I hope one day you too may meet this charming, glorious cat.

Poncho stepping on my foot via me