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Just over a month after a Waymo autonomous car hit and killed KitKat, the beloved Mission bodega cat, Randa’s Market welcomed a new feline to its store late last week: Coco, a six-month-old white kitty with blue eyes, who is already winning over dozens of customers daily.
“There won’t be another KitKat, but she’s bringing a spark back to the neighborhood,” said a man named AJ as he left the 16th and Valencia store after petting Coco on his way out. “People are already going crazy for her.”
Coco is the new cat at Randa’s Market, but KitKat’s memory still lives on. Photo by Oscar Palma.
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A neighbor gifted Coco to Mike Zeidan, the owner of the market, last week. After multiple suggestions, the name Coco was chosen via an Instagram poll. It is a reference to Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt from 51 to 31 B.C., said a Randa’s Market employee, Abraham T.
Customers did not only bring the kitty, but also two large handmade signs reading “KitKat Market” that now sit on the front door and by the register. When asked if Randa’s Market was changing its name, two employees said no, but that they had decided to keep the signs to honor their dead friend.
Amber Bishop, a neighbor, said she’s happy to see Coco on her way to and from work. On Tuesday morning, she gave the white cat a few good morning scratches as she walked by.
Coco is not there to be KitKat. She’s there to be Coco, said the store’s employee Abraham. She’s still exploring and getting used to the space. “I see her running around the store and pawing the TVs,” AJ said. So far, her preferred destination seems to be the top of the fridges.
She was described as feisty, friendly, cute and a little scared of the outside world — a couple days ago, she walked outside to chase pigeons and, when a truck drove by, ran back inside the store in fright.
David Vidale, another Randa’s Market worker, said that on his watch Coco will stay inside the store as much as possible. KitKat, after all, died after a Waymo ran him over on the street.
The company said in October it was going to make a donation to a local animal organization in KitKat’s honor, though on Monday, Waymo did not confirm if it had made the donation, the name of the organization or the amount it had donated. Also on Monday, Waymo confirmed that another of its cars hit a dog in the Western Addition neighborhood on Nov. 30. It is unknown if the dog survived the incident.
But on 16th Street, after everything that’s happened over the last month, Coco’s presence has lifted the community’s spirit, Abraham T. said
“Coco gives us hope,” he said. “Customers already love her.”
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