Waymo faces flak after robotaxi kills California cat: Report

Waymo is facing flak after one of its robotaxis ran over a California cat named KitKat in late October, reported The San Francisco Standard, with Waymo acknowledging there was an incident involving a cat.

Alphabet’s self-driving unit Waymo confirmed to the outlet that a small cat ran under its vehicle as it was pulling away.

However, an anonymous complaint alleged that the Waymo vehicle did not slow down or try to avoid the cat. It also raised doubts about Waymo vehicles’ ability to detect animals in the dark.

Waymo confirmed an incident and said it would make a donation to an animal rights organisation, per The San Francisco Standard.

KitKat, a grey striped cat with pale green eyes who wore a bell around his neck, was an informal “mascot” loved by shoppers and locals alike. A roadside memorial has since been put together for him, with flowers, photos, and KitKat chocolates.

“We’re heartbroken to share that our beloved store cat, KitKat, has passed away. He brought warmth, smiles, and comfort to everyone who walked through our doors. Thank you to all who loved him as much as we did. The store won’t be the same without his little paws padding around,” posted the Randa’s Market on Instagram last week, along with a photo of KitKat.

This is not the first time an animal has been killed by an autonomous vehicle. A Waymo robotaxi in the autonomous mode killed a dog in California in 2023, reported tech outlet Tech Crunch.

On X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk appeared to reference the incident and defend autonomous vehicles when he posted, “True, many pets will be saved by autonomy” on October 31. He was re-tweeting a post claiming that over five million cats were hit by cars every year in the U.S.