Waymo robotaxi fatally strikes cat in San Francisco
A Waymo robotaxi struck and killed KitKat, a well-known cat at a San Francisco corner store, in October 2025. Witnesses reported the cat walked under the moving vehicle after sitting near it moments earlier. The incident raised questions about the robotaxi's perception systems and the company's transparency regarding autonomous vehicle safety in dense urban environments.
What happened
A Waymo robotaxi struck and killed KitKat, a 9-year-old cat living at Randa's Market in San Francisco's Mission District, on October 27, 2025 around 11:40 p.m.
Two witnesses reported the cat was sitting in front of the stopped vehicle for about seven seconds, then walked under the vehicle as it pulled away, with the right rear tire running over the cat. Another witness said the robotaxi swerved and appeared to be driving faster than expected for a busy street.
Reported impact
The incident caused emotional distress to the pet's owners and deep shock among local residents, who mourned KitKat, a beloved fixture at the corner store and on social media with a large following.
Index analysis
Early indications point to limitations in the robotaxi's perception and decision-making systems, particularly difficulty in reliably detecting small, low-contrast animals near the road.
The incident highlights transparency gaps in the autonomous vehicle industry, including lack of disclosure about system limitations, near-miss data, and object-detection edge cases, as well as limited external oversight of training data and safety thresholds.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.