Overview
- KitKat, a nine-year-old store cat at Randa’s Market, was struck late Monday on 16th Street and later died at a 24-hour veterinary hospital.
- Waymo said the vehicle was stopped to pick up passengers when a nearby cat "darted under" as it pulled away, and the company pledged a donation to a local animal-rights group.
- Two witnesses told Mission Local the cat was positioned in front of the vehicle before it moved and was run over by a rear tire, contradicting parts of Waymo’s description.
- An early 311 complaint alleged the robotaxi did not try to stop; the company has not released onboard video or identified the donation recipient or amount.
- A growing memorial outside the shop underscores neighborhood grief and a wider debate over autonomous-vehicle accountability, with no regulatory determination reported yet.