He shot to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic\u2019s first year. Not only was he posted on the @bodegacatsofinstagram account<\/a> (which now has more than 500,000 followers), but he also won a mention in a news story<\/a> on beloved store cats. \u201cThe atmosphere in the store definitely changed after KitKat arrived,\u201d Daniel Zeidan, the store owner\u2019s son, told SFGate. Not only did he get treats from customers, but also \u201csomeone recently brought him a blanket so he would stay warm in the winter.\u201d<\/p>\n More recently, he was caught curled up asleep on his own heating pad.<\/a> <\/p>\n He even made<\/a> appearances in the next-door bar, Dalva, where his arrival felt like \u201cthe president had arrived, making their rounds, shaking hands and charming everyone,\u201d said one mourning Instagram commenter.<\/p>\n But he was fatally wounded around 11:40 p.m. on Oct. 27 just outside the market, Mission Local<\/a> reported. Two witnesses, speaking anonymously, told the news outlet that they had just left Dalva and saw KitKat sitting in front of a stopped self-driving Waymo for about seven seconds. Then the cat walked under the vehicle, heading toward the sidewalk, as the car pulled away. The right rear tire ran over KitKat, the website said. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was an awful sight,\u201d one of the witnesses told Mission Local. <\/p>\n Another person driving by saw the Waymo swerve and told Mission Local he thought the robotaxi was driving faster than he would expect a human would drive on a busy street. \u201cKilled the neighborhoods baby,\u201d a comment<\/a> on the city\u2019s 311 website said shortly after the collision.<\/p>\n A bartender from another nearby bar, Delirium, rushed KitKat to a veterinarian hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Mission Local<\/a>.<\/p>\n The cat was 9 years old, the San Francisco Standard reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re heartbroken,\u201d Randa\u2019s Market said<\/a> on Instagram. \u201cHe brought warmth, smiles, and comfort to everyone who walked through our doors…. The store won\u2019t be the same without his little paws padding around.\u201d<\/p>\n KitKat was a beloved presence along 16th Street in San Francisco.<\/p>\n (Randa\u2019s Market)<\/p>\n One mourner, responding to the post, called KitKat \u201cthe best city bodega cat anyone could ever ask for. His lil pet requests meant a lot for some of us passing through, whether we missed our own pet or just wanted to share some love with a neighbor.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement, Waymo said: \u201cWe reviewed this, and while our vehicle was stopped to pick up passengers, a nearby cat darted under our vehicle as it was pulling away.<\/p>\n \u201cWe send our deepest sympathies to the cat\u2019s owner and the community who knew and loved him, and we will be making a donation to a local animal rights organization in his honor,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThe trust and safety of the communities we serve is our highest priority.\u201d<\/p>\n A Waymo has had a run-in with a pet before. News outlets in 2023 reported<\/a> on a Waymo striking and killing a small off-leash dog in San Francisco\u2019s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood; in that case<\/a>, a test driver was in the vehicle, but the car was in self-driving mode.<\/p>\n In one close call, a Waymo narrowly avoided running over a runaway dog in Santa Monica in May. An 8-year-old Labrador mix, Trevor, had escaped his owner\u2019s yard and ran into the street in front of a Waymo, which braked suddenly, KCAL-TV reported<\/a>. The station broadcast video of the near-collision. The dog was uninjured, and his owner praised the car\u2019s quick action. <\/p>\n The California Department of Motor Vehicles has received reports<\/a> of 884 collisions involving autonomous vehicles dating to 2014. <\/p>\n A Waymo robotaxi in downtown Los Angeles in September.<\/p>\n (Gary Coronado\/For The Times)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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