Every cat has his day.
That’s what Mike Zeidan, the owner of Randa’s Market in the Mission District, hopes will be the case this time around, at least.
Meet Shadow, the kitten that’s arrived to take the place of store mascot once held by KitKat (the absolute legend and mayor of 16th Street, who was killed by a Waymo last year) and Coco (who went into early retirement after being diagnosed with feline leukemia, and is currently living at a shelter in Santa Rosa).
Shadow, a one-year-old black domestic shorthair, moved to the store from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals adoption center two weeks ago, Zeidan said. At the time of the adoption, he was called Mozart, but Zeidan was not a fan.
After multiple suggestions that included “Guinness and Onyx, a customer put forth “Shadow.” Zeidan knew that was it.
Shadow seemed scared and a little annoyed by the new digs initially, but a steady stream of tribute from customers (including treats and a nice collar) turned things around.
“He’s adapted pretty well. He seems very happy and very friendly with the customers,” said Zeidan. He is, the liquor store owner said, a “good cat so far.”
Zeidan said customers are already in love with Shadow and tell him how beautiful he is, and they especially remark on his eyes. They’ve described him as friendly, playful and happy.
It will be impossible to replace KitKat, all acknowledge: The feline was a mainstay on the bar-filled street for years and known to hundreds, if not thousands, of Mission District visitors.
Video showed he was near the Waymo vehicle’s front tire, apparently invisible to the cameras, 25 seconds before the self-driving car struck and killed him.
District 9 supervisor Jackie Fielder has called for legislation to curb Waymo in the city, and a memorial shrine outside the store is still populated by fresh flowers four months after the killing.
Zeidan described Coco’s departure so soon after losing KitKat as heartbreaking. But, he said, Shadow has brought back a spark back to the routines of store life.
“He has some of KitKat’s traits,” said Zeidan. “He loves boxes. Anytime I open a box, he wants to go and jump in it.”
Shadow has also discovered some of KitKat’s favorite spots around the store, Zeidan said, like a perch above a glass display case. On a recent rainy Tuesday, Shadow was napping on a box Zeidan placed there.
The main difference with KitKat? Shadow’s an indoor cat.
“He does not like to go outside,” said Zeidan. “He saw a pigeon the other day, and he wanted to go outside. He went outside, but he got scared and ran back in. He loves to sit on the window and just watch the outside.”
It sounds like Shadow has the good sense to stay inside the store. I hope that the owner has the good sense to keep him there. The Mission’s crowded streets are no place for a cat.
I also am curious as to why Coco ended up in a shelter. Someone had given Coco to the store owner after KitKat’s death. Of all the people who “loved” her immediately, did none of them care enough to give her a home?
Can’t wait to come meet him. There’s something special about a black cat.
“It sounds like Shadow has the good sense to stay inside the store”
KitKat also had that good sense until the day he died. On that day for the first time after passing by his store a couple of hundred times, I saw him underneath a car parked in front, and then he snuggled up against a motorcycle. This scared the hell out of me, but I couldn’t do anything about it, so I just had to keep walking. ANY cat in an urban setting like that is sooner or later doomed.
Kitty.
Grazie
Grazie!!!
Paisano.
-,dl