A man was finally reunited with his cat, days after a Lyft driver drove off with his precious pet still in the car.
On September 30, Palash Pandey from Austin, Texas, said he ordered the car service to take him and his cat Tux to the vet for an appointment.
Pandey said he sat behind the driver, with the cat carrier on the floor in front of the seat next to him.
But when they arrived at the destination, the driver took off before Pandey could retrieve the cat carrier with Tux inside.
According to Indy 100, Pandey chased after the vehicle and even tried pounding on the window, but attempts to stop the driver were futile.
Pandey said the driver ignored his calls for two hours. When he eventually picked up, Pandey said the driver claimed he had no idea of Tux's whereabouts.
Having nowhere else to turn, Pandey sought the help of the internet with a series of frantic posts that went viral on X (formerly Twitter).
Pandey explained:
"@AskLyft My Lyft driver drove off with my pet cat still in the car."
"I was taking my cat to a vet appointment, I was sitting behind the driver and had the cat carrier on the floor of the passenger side back seat."
He continued:
"I got off from the driver side door and started walking to the passenger side door to pick her up."
"Before I could open the door, the driver started driving."
"I banged on the back and passenger windows and screamed running behind him but he drove off."
"I tried contacting the driver through Lyft. They were not helpful at all."
"You can only send three messages and call the driver [three] times. The driver didn't respond for about 2 hours and then said that he didn't have her."
After calling 911 and being transferred to 311 to file a report, Pandey said he had not heard back from anyone.
He became increasingly concerned, as Tux was still in need of medical attention.
"I don't know what else to do," he said.
Pandey followed up with four photos featuring his missing feline.
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He also shared a "Lost Cat" flyer with photos and contact information, and asked that Tux be taken to a local shelter if found.
@palashp40616755/X
Finally, on October 2, Pandey informed followers that Tux was found outside of her carrier near the building of a real estate agency.
Her carrier, however, was nowhere to be found.
According to the investigator who found Tux, Pandey was told:
"Cat ran up a set of stairs on the back of the building next to it."
"The team was able to get her caught up at the top of the stairs and she was too scared to jump from up there."
"I was able to give my over shirt to the team member at top of the stairs to wrap her up in and had an extra cat carrier that I brought with me."
Pandey said of Tux:
"She looks very tired, is covered in fleas and dehydrated."
"She started eating wet food again which is a good sign but I'll monitor her and take her to the vet as soon as she calms down and stabilizes a bit."
"I would update again once I hear from the vet."
He expressed gratitude for all the support he was given from concerned users.
Those following the story were relieved to hear the good news.
@palashp40616755 I am beyond happy that you found your sweet kitty!! So sorry she was covered in fleas and dehydrated, but eating wet food again is a good sign. I will keep her in my prayers that she has a quick and full recovery. I was furious that this happened to you.— Etta 3363 (@Etta 3363) 1696232582
He also sought consequences for the Lyft driver who drove off with Tux.
"Also, now that I have her back, I want to nail the POS who stole her. I'm going to ensure that he goes to jail."
"F'king coward saw what was coming for him and left her on the side of the road."
"There's plenty of cameras around, he's not going to get away with this."
Users agreed there should be consequences.
@palashp40616755 I AM SO GLAD THEY FOUND HER!! THAT DRIVER NEEDS TO BE CHARGED FOR ANIMAL ABUSE!!!!— big molly media \ud80c\udd89 (@big molly media \ud80c\udd89) 1696267993
Lyft CEO David Risher responded to a tweet he was tagged in and explained he was made aware of the situation and the way his company handled the debacle.
“The initial response was awful," said Risher, adding:
"Since then, we've done a lot behind the scenes, but I know we haven’t communicated enough."
"We’re very focused on this and will keep the community up to date.”
When Pandey posted the good news update, Risher shared the post and wrote:
“Very good news. Thanks to all who pitched in.”
Thank goodness the traumatizing experience ended on a positive note.
