San Francisco has been mourning the loss of life of KitKat, a beloved corner-store cat who died after being struck by a Waymo robotaxi final week.
KitKat graced the counters of Randa’s Market on sixteenth Avenue, close to the historic Roxie Theater within the Mission District. KitKat was first introduced on the shop’s Instagram web page six years in the past, rapidly profitable over the hearts of shoppers. He wasn’t a surly or suspicious cat — he may very well be seen playing with somebody’s dangling hoodie drawstrings; snoozing in entrance of cabinets with liquor bottles; inside a cardboard box marked together with his title; greeting the neighborhood canine; even dressing up as Santa Claus.
He shot to fame in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic’s first yr. Not solely was he posted on the @bodegacatsofinstagram account (which now has greater than 500,000 followers), however he additionally received a point out in a information story on beloved retailer cats. “The environment within the retailer positively modified after KitKat arrived,” Daniel Zeidan, the shop proprietor’s son, informed SFGate. Not solely did he get treats from prospects, but additionally “somebody not too long ago introduced him a blanket so he would keep heat within the winter.”
Extra not too long ago, he was caught curled up asleep on his personal heating pad.
He even made appearances within the next-door bar, Dalva, the place his arrival felt like “the president had arrived, making their rounds, shaking fingers and charming everybody,” mentioned one mourning Instagram commenter.
However he was fatally wounded round 11:40 p.m. on Oct. 27 simply outdoors the market, Mission Local reported. Two witnesses, talking anonymously, informed the information outlet that they’d simply left Dalva and noticed KitKat sitting in entrance of a stopped self-driving Waymo for about seven seconds. Then the cat walked underneath the automobile, heading towards the sidewalk, because the automobile pulled away. The proper rear tire ran over KitKat, the web site mentioned.
“It was an terrible sight,” one of many witnesses informed Mission Native.
KitKat, 9, was affectionate with many purchasers at Randa’s Market in San Francisco.
(Nick Escobar)
One other particular person driving by noticed the Waymo swerve and informed Mission Native he thought the robotaxi was driving quicker than he would count on a human would drive on a busy road. “Killed the neighborhoods child,” a comment on the town’s 311 web site mentioned shortly after the collision.
A bartender from one other close by bar, Delirium, rushed KitKat to a veterinarian hospital, the place he was pronounced useless, in accordance with Mission Local.
The cat was 9 years outdated, the San Francisco Normal reported.
“We’re heartbroken,” Randa’s Market said on Instagram. “He introduced heat, smiles, and luxury to everybody who walked by way of our doorways…. The shop received’t be the identical with out his little paws padding round.”
KitKat was a beloved presence alongside sixteenth Avenue in San Francisco.
(Randa’s Market)
One mourner, responding to the publish, known as KitKat “one of the best metropolis bodega cat anybody may ever ask for. His lil pet requests meant rather a lot for a few of us passing by way of, whether or not we missed our personal pet or simply wished to share some love with a neighbor.”
In a press release, Waymo mentioned: “We reviewed this, and whereas our automobile was stopped to choose up passengers, a close-by cat darted underneath our automobile because it was pulling away.
“We ship our deepest sympathies to the cat’s proprietor and the neighborhood who knew and beloved him, and we can be making a donation to an area animal rights group in his honor,” the assertion mentioned. “The belief and security of the communities we serve is our highest precedence.”
KitKat was pleasant with many purchasers of Randa’s Market in San Francisco’s Mission District. KitKat was killed by a Waymo on Oct. 27.
(Randa’s Market)
A Waymo has had a run-in with a pet earlier than. Information shops in 2023 reported on a Waymo placing and killing a small off-leash canine in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Level neighborhood; in that case, a check driver was within the automobile, however the automobile was in self-driving mode.
In a single shut name, a Waymo narrowly prevented operating over a runaway canine in Santa Monica in Could. An 8-year-old Labrador combine, Trevor, had escaped his proprietor’s yard and bumped into the road in entrance of a Waymo, which braked out of the blue, KCAL-TV reported. The station broadcast video of the near-collision. The canine was unhurt, and his proprietor praised the automobile’s fast motion.
The California Division of Motor Automobiles has obtained reports of 884 collisions involving autonomous autos courting to 2014.
A Waymo robotaxi in downtown Los Angeles in September.
(Gary Coronado/For The Instances)
Waymo, owned by Google’s mum or dad, Alphabet, has been expanding its footprint throughout California. The robotaxis — electrical Jaguar I-Paces — don’t use a human driver and will be hailed on an app in San Francisco and a swath of northern San Mateo County, together with Daly Metropolis, San Bruno and Burlingame. They’re additionally out there in elements of Silicon Valley and surrounding areas, together with Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
In Los Angeles County, Waymos will be hailed throughout a portion of central L.A., South L.A., and the Westside, together with downtown L.A., Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Inglewood.
The self-driving automobiles are additionally out there in Phoenix.
