Outrage as Google-run driverless car flattens beloved tabby cat without stopping

UK Daily Mail ^ | 10/30/2025 | Wilko Martinez-Cachero

[fruser1]

KitKat, a nine-year-old feline, was well-known across San Francisco as the pet who 'patrolled' the Randa's Market corner store on 16th Street.

The driverless vehicle had apparently stopped near the corner store before running the tabby cat over.

Sheau-Wha Mou, a bartender at nearby Delirium, said: 'If it wasn't a Waymo - if it was a person driving a car - they could have stopped and helped.'

San Francisco resident Jeff Klein was driving behind the Waymo, which he claimed was driving out of control.

He told the Standard by email: 'Some folks on the sidewalk started yelling and grabbed the cat right out from under where the Waymo swerved from.'

[fruser1]

I'm more of a dog person, but I'd have to agree it's not cool to mow down the cats.

[anton]

Most cats don’t even have a close call. They are smart, fast and scared of cars.
Ever have to brake for a cat? I didn’t think so.

[ansel12]

A cat? Now they’ve done it.

[Jeff Chandler]

Made it half-way across in 3 seconds flat.

[escapefromboston]

Soon they’ll be running over people and sending the cleaning bill to the family.

[DIRTYSECRET]

16th street is busy. Don’t blame Waymo. Collateral damage. Waymo will prove to be safer. Think of it as the AI answer to all the traffic problems

Gonna be awesome.

[Olog-hai]

I have, several times. Not all cats have equal wariness; some are sensory impaired in some way.

[Dr. Sivana]

Most cats don’t even have a close call. They are smart, fast and scared of cars.

I have had a lot of cats, and have lost two to vehicles. First one was, as you say, car nervous, but she saw another cat and gave chase, temporarily turning of her better instincts. The second came from a long line of farm cats. Our house was rural, but on a state road, so what traffic came was going 45+. He was an exquisite vermin killer, but not car smart. I do not know if it was a car or semi that got him, but it was instantaneous.

[xp38]

One darted out in front of me on a freeway going roughly the limit. It was so quick and last second I had no time to react at all. I felt a small bump running over it and felt sick about it immediately but really could do nothing about it. It happened long long ago now. Only time I’ve ever had that happen to any animal in my driving career.

[TexasGator]

“Sheau-Wha Mou, a bartender at nearby Delirium, said: ‘If it wasn’t a Waymo - if it was a person driving a car - they could have stopped and helped.’”

Dream on ...

[Jamestown1630]

Don’t let your cats roam if you live where there is traffic. They’re very likely to die this way.

Cats are fast and very smart in certain ways, but they’re not a match for busy streets.

[TexasGator]

“One darted out in front of me on a freeway going roughly the limit. “

Cheetah?

[Governor Dinwiddie]

It's horrible and very sad. I'm so friggin sick of "Tech" and "Google" and "Meta" and "AI".
Maybe nuclear annihilation isn't such a bad thing.

[Jamestown1630]

Sentient drivers kill cats all the time.

[xp38]

the car was going at the limit....the house cat was darting across in front of me

[Governor Dinwiddie]

It’s what happens in our world. Horse carts have killed animals too.

[Jamestown1630]

If you care about a cat it’s best to keep it indoors. People on farms with feral barn cats is one thing; but a cat that’s a pet in an area with traffic belongs inside.

[redfreedom]

No kidding. But to some it’s literally their daily bread, they just gotta have it.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

That's true. I don't know the full story of the cat. But the cat's caregivers weren't caring enough to protect kitty.

[anton]

I said this because I had a cat that got run over twice in front of my house. Once in front of the kids. I took him to the vet to be put down because he seemed to be paralyzed in the rear legs. The vet said “let’s give him a little bit - these cats are pretty durable” 45 minutes later he was up and walking and the vet took me aside and said “most cats don’t even have a close call - your has been run over twice.” I think you better keep him inside. He lived to 22 with one eye and a bit of a limp.