Social media mourns beloved cat, KitKat, hit by Waymo car
A beloved San Francisco neighborhood cat has died after being hit by a Waymo autonomous vehicle, and mourners on social media are talking about it.
KitKat, also known as the “Mayor of 16th Street,” was hit by the Waymo around 11:30 Monday night, said its owner, Mike Zeidan. The San Francisco Standard. Zeidan also owns Randa’s Market, the convenience store where KitKat used to hang out. There, he became known and loved by the community, often frequenting the market’s Instagram page.
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On Monday evening, the driverless robo-taxi stopped near the market and apparently did not slow down or try to avoid the cat, according to an anonymous complaint to 311, reported by The Standard.
Zeidan told Standard that KitKat was found under the Waymo. A store employee took him to a veterinary clinic and he was pronounced dead.
Now, the pinned post on the store’s Instagram is a tribute to KitKat.
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“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved store cat, KitKat, has passed away,” the post read. “He brought warmth, smiles and comfort to everyone who came through our doors. Thank you to everyone who loved him as much as we did. The store wouldn’t be the same without his little paws.”
Other commemorative posts appeared on the platform and on TikTok, featuring photos and videos of a shrine to KitKat near the store.
“If you’re not a regular on 16th Street, this might seem silly, but this cat means so much to this community. If you knew Kitkat, you’d understand. [sic]” posted a TikTok from user @frijolefiddler with a video of the memorial filled with flowers, photos of the cat and KitKat bars. The video has more than 500,000 likes at the time of this posting. Mourners also posted recorded videos of KitKat as a tribute.
On Thursday, Waymo responded to SFGATE’s request for comment on the death, acknowledging it but not claiming responsibility. Waymo also said it would donate to an animal rights group in honor of KitKat:
“The trust and safety of the communities we serve is our top priority,” Waymo told SFGATE. “We looked into this and as our vehicle was stopped to pick up passengers, a nearby cat scurried under our vehicle as it drove away. We send our deepest condolences to the cat’s owner and the community who knew and loved him, and we will make a donation to a local animal rights organization in his honor.”
