A Lyft driver in Texas allegedly took off with a passenger’s cat in a bizarre incident that went viral on social media and sparked a massive search effort that ended with the owner and his pet reunited a day later.
Palash Pandey said she noticed her 2-year-old cat named Tux seemed unwell on Saturday, so she called Lyft to take her to a veterinarian near her home in Austin.
But what started as a normal visit to the vet turned into an unimaginable nightmare before Pandey and Tux could even reach the animal hospital.
Pandey, 23, said he exited the Lyft vehicle and went around to open the rear passenger-side door to pick up Tux in his carrier when the driver sped away.
“Before I could open the door, the driver started driving,” he said. wrote in a viral thread on X, formerly Twitter. “I banged on the rear and passenger windows and screamed and ran after him, but he took off.”
The distraught pet owner said he called and messaged the driver through the app several times with no response.
The Lyft driver responded about two hours later and said he didn’t have the black and white cat, according to Pandey.
I just got back from the vet. Tux is in good health. I’m pretty sure she thinks she was just playing the Stray game in VR. Thank you all for helping. You have restored my faith in the community. pic.twitter.com/ehm1sTRxVV
-palash pandey (@palashp40616755) October 2, 2023
“I don’t have anything of yours. There is nothing in the back,” the driver texted in the chat, according to screenshots obtained by the Washington Post. “She’s not there, I’m sorry.”
Pandey called 911, who transferred him to 311 where he filed a report. He also contacted Lyft support, who informed him that they contacted the driver and that there would be a “standard drop-off fee of $20 per [the driver’s] time and effort” if the driver returned the “item.”
After exhausting all options, Pandey decided to post a plea for help on both X and Reddit. He asked people for advice on what to do and publicly criticized Lyft in posts.
“I didn’t expect people to want to help, but I was desperate and didn’t know what else to do,” he told the Washington Post. “He was really worried.”
His tweet was viewed more than 10 million times, and hundreds responded with tips and calls to Lyft and local news stations to help Pandey find Tux.
After exhausting all options, Pandey decided to post a plea for help on both X and Reddit. He asked people for advice on what to do and publicly criticized Lyft in posts. palash pandey/X
“They just jumped in to help,” he said, adding that it restored his faith in humans.
On Saturday night, Pandey said the Lyft driver called him after being contacted by Austin police.
The driver claimed he was allergic to cats and would have canceled the trip if he had known Pandey had a cat in the carrier and said he left quickly because he was startled, according to the cat’s distraught owner.
“My drop-off location was a pet hospital and I was carrying a pet carrier, so it’s hard to understand,” Pandey told the newspaper.
He said the driver also said he picked up and dropped off several passengers after Pandey’s trip to the animal hospital and that none of them said anything about a cat.
The driver claimed he was allergic to cats and would have canceled the trip if he had known Pandey had a cat in the carrier and said he left quickly because he was startled.David Risher, /X
By Sunday, with no news yet on Tux and a growing number of people tuning in for news, Lyft CEO David Risher responded.
“The initial response was terrible. Since then, we’ve done a lot behind the scenes, but I know we haven’t communicated enough. We are very focused on this and will keep the community updated,” she stated. tweeted.
Risher said Lyft sent alerts with Tux’s photo to all of its drivers and passengers in the Austin area and also asked social media not to “shaming” the driver.
Pandey also asked his followers not to mislead the driver.
“He has received unjustified threats and is as distraught as all of us,” Risher. said of the driver, whose Lyft account was deactivated while the company investigates.
The ride-sharing company went a step further and deployed a search team to look for Tux.
On Sunday, one of the team members spotted the frightened tuxedo cat hiding under a staircase outside a real estate company’s office, about a mile from the animal hospital. His aircraft carrier was nowhere to be seen.
They grabbed her and quickly reunited Tux with Pandey.
“Tux was hungry, scared and covered in fleas, but she was very happy to see me,” Pandey told the Washington Post. “She was so grateful that I just hugged her and cried.”
After taking her to the vet, Pandey said she received a clean bill of health and shared a selfie holding Tux with a thank you to everyone who helped her and followed her. Lyft said she would cover the vet fees.
“You have restored my faith in the community,” he said in X.
Austin police are still investigating the case to find out exactly what happened to little Tux.
“We are actively working with everyone involved to fully understand the situation and help prevent it from happening again,” Lyft said. “We are evaluating our policies to improve support for our community, including in cases like this.”
Risher said Lyft sent alerts with Tux’s photo to all of its drivers and passengers in the Austin area and also asked social media not to “vilify” the driver.palash pandey/X
Pandey said he’s happy to have Tux back, but hopes no other pet owners have to go through what he had to go through.
“She’s been with me for two and a half years, ever since I found her when she was a kitten,” she said. “She was trapped on the terrace of a Drexel University library. [in Philadelphia], where I went to university. “I rescued her that day and we have been together ever since.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn