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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA driverless Waymo vehicle struck and killed KitKat, a nine-year-old tabby known around Randa’s Market in San Francisco’s Mission District, late on October 27, 2025. Waymo’s account, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, says the car was pulling away after stopping to pick up passengers when KitKat went underneath it. A 311 complaint filed the next day described the collision differently. The available reporting does not establish which account best explains the mechanics, what the vehicle detected, or whether the collision could have been avoided.
Who was KitKat, and where did the collision happen?
KitKat was a nine-year-old tabby and a familiar presence at Randa’s Market, beside the Roxie Theater on 16th Street in the Mission District. Neighbors affectionately called him the “Mayor of 16th Street.” The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the collision happened late Monday, October 27, 2025.
His owners took him to an animal hospital after the collision. He died later that night.
How do the two accounts of the collision differ?
Waymo’s account, as reported by the Chronicle
The Chronicle said Waymo described the vehicle as having stopped to pick up passengers and then pulling away when KitKat went under it. That account does not, by itself, establish the vehicle’s speed, what its systems detected, or the precise moment of impact.
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The next-day 311 complaint
A complaint filed with San Francisco’s 311 service on October 28 said KitKat had been sitting on the sidewalk near a transit lane. The complaint alleged: “Waymo did not even try to stop and hit the cat at a fast speed.” That is the complainant’s description, quoted by the Chronicle—not a technical finding or an independently verified reconstruction.
The reporting does not include sensor data or an independent investigation that resolves the difference. It therefore cannot establish whether the vehicle detected KitKat, exactly how the collision unfolded, or whether it was avoidable.
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What did Waymo say, and how did neighbors respond?
Waymo confirmed the collision on October 30, three days after it occurred. In a statement quoted by Aidin Vaziri’s November 2 Chronicle article, the company said: “The trust and the safety of the communities we serve is our highest priority. We send our deepest sympathies to the cat’s 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.” The company did not disclose the donation amount or name the organization, according to the Chronicle.
The Chronicle reported that neighbors left flowers, candles, photographs, candy bars, and handwritten notes at a makeshift memorial. These reported gestures document a local response; they should not be read as representing every San Franciscan’s view of Waymo or autonomous vehicles.
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Did the death change local rules for driverless cars?
In a November 3 follow-up, the Chronicle reported that San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder planned to introduce a resolution urging state leaders to let counties make decisions about autonomous-vehicle operations. The report described a proposed resolution, not an enacted law or a county-level ban.
A December 16, 2025 report by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority’s executive director later referenced the Mission District cat death alongside a separate reported Waymo dog collision. It also noted regulatory approval for Waymo to expand driverless operations across parts of the Bay Area. That regional context does not determine what happened to KitKat or whether the collision could have been prevented.
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A California Senate Transportation Committee background paper dated March 24, 2026, also cited the cat collision as a high-profile event in ongoing autonomous-vehicle policy debates. Its broader human-injury safety statistics do not measure this animal incident and cannot establish its cause or preventability.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is—and is not—known about the incident?
- Established in the reporting: KitKat was a nine-year-old neighborhood tabby; the collision occurred late October 27, 2025; his owners took him to an animal hospital, where he died that night; Waymo confirmed the collision on October 30.
- Attributed but unresolved: Waymo’s account says KitKat went under the vehicle as it pulled away after a passenger pickup. The next-day 311 complaint instead alleged that the car hit him at speed without trying to stop.
- Not established by the sources cited: what the vehicle detected, the precise mechanics of impact, and whether the collision was avoidable.
The Chronicle also relayed a broad cumulative California DMV figure of close to 900 self-driving-car collisions “to date.” That was not a Waymo-only count, an animal-collision count, or evidence about the cause of KitKat’s death, so it does not answer those incident-specific questions.
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