KitKat, liquor store mascot and '16th St. ambassador,' killed - allegedly by Waymo

"Jeffrey Lucas, a longtime friend of KitKat, said the "funniest thing" he ever did with KitKat was "teach him Ukrainian." He taught the bodega cat two simple commands: De kit (Where's the cat?) and Kit tam (Cat's over there). Lucas recalled this while sitting at the end of the bar on Tuesday at Delirium, next to Randa's Market, the liquor store that KitKat called home."

"KitKat, 9 years old, was found dying in the street on Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Numerous friends and neighbors said the cat was hit and killed by a Waymo autonomous vehicle. Jeff Klein told Mission Local via email that he was driving east on 16th Street with a friend on Monday at approximately 11:40 p.m. when he saw a Waymo swerve in front of them."

"'It's sad. Everyone's heartbroken. I've been crying all fucking day and night,' said Jessica Chapdelaine, a bartender at Delirium who lives in an apartment above. 'He's the baby. He was everyone's best friend, and he was just the sweetest boy.' Neighbors up and down 16th Street and across the Mission District are mourning. KitKat was a staple of Randa's, a go-to for many starting or ending their nights at the bars near 16th and Valencia streets."

KitKat, a 9-year-old bodega cat who lived at Randa's Market, was found dying in the street after reportedly being hit by a Waymo autonomous vehicle late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Witnesses described a Waymo swerving on 16th Street as a car drove east, and bystanders pulled the injured cat from the road. A 311 complaint alleged the vehicle hit the cat and did not attempt to stop. Friends and neighborhood patrons gathered at Delirium bar to remember KitKat, sharing memories such as being taught Ukrainian commands. Bartenders and neighbors expressed deep grief and called KitKat a neighborhood staple.

Read at Mission Local