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A San Francisco community is in mourning after a beloved neighborhood store cat was allegedly hit and killed by a Waymo self-driving taxiA 9-year-old cat named KitKat, who resided at Randa’s Market near the city’s Mission Dolores, was allegedly run over by the self-driving car on MondayA complaint alleged that the vehicle “did not even try to stop and hit the cat at a fast speed”
A San Francisco community is in mourning after a beloved neighborhood store cat was allegedly hit and killed by a Waymo self-driving taxi.
According to reports from CBS Bay Area, SFGate and the San Francisco Standard, a 9-year-old cat named KitKat, who resided at Randa’s Market near the city’s Mission Dolores, was allegedly run over by the self-driving car.
The shop’s owner, Mike Zeidan, told SFGate the accident took place at around 11:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27.
Zeidan and his wife were woken up by a phone call from an employee at a neighboring bar who saw the accident. The couple came rushing down to the store and quickly transported KitKat to an animal hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“Honestly, man, it’s difficult. He was a one-of-a-kind cat. He brought joy to so many people,” Zeidan told the Standard of the beloved feline. “People loved him.”
A 311 complaint, filed on Tuesday and obtained by the outlets, stated that the cat was seen on the sidewalk next to a transit lane, and that the driverless vehicle made a stop near the market.
“Waymo did not even try to stop and hit the cat at a fast speed,” the complaint read.
“[Waymos] should not be on the street if they can’t spot small animals in the dark,” the complaint added, per the Standard.
A witness who spoke with the outlet added that he was driving nearby when he heard a commotion.
“My friend and I were driving by the Roxie when a Waymo swerved in front of us last night at approx 11:40,” the witness, Jeff Klein, said Tuesday. “Some folks on the sidewalk started yelling and grabbed the cat right out from under where the Waymo swerved from.”
Waymo did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
According to the Standard, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has reported more than 880 self-driving car collisions to date. Several of them have involved animals, including when a dog was struck and killed by a Waymo in 2023.
Following KitKat’s death, supporters and longtime Randa’s customers shared social media comments about their love for the cat — and several people even created a memorial to honor him outside the store, complete with flowers, photos, candles and cans of Fancy Feast.
“Rest in peace KitKat, you were the best bodega cat in the city 💔,” one Instagram commenter wrote.
Footage of the memorial displayed in honor of KitKat.
KPIX | CBS NEWS BAY AREA/YouTube
According to Zeidan, KitKat first arrived at Randa’s six years ago, as the shop needed help dealing with rodents, and the cat had been a stray in the past and was being taken care of by a neighbor. Zeidan said that that the feline came to live in the shop due to a family member’s cat allergy — and quickly became a fixture at the bodega.
“He was a special guest,” Zeidan said. “Made for a store like this. Friendly with everybody, and not afraid of dogs or anything.”
“Only Mike at Randa’s, the most righteous merchant on the 16th/Valencia corridor, could have found and raised such an award-winning, neighborhood-loved critter as cool as our kitty, KitKat,” Rick Norris, the director of publicity at the neighboring Roxie Theater, told the Standard of the relationship between Zeidan and KiKat.
“Those two were perfectly paired, and we mourn his (our) loss of a creature that absolutely elevated the quality of life in our corner of the Mission.”