“I was racing next to the car, banging on the windows and shouting, but he just sped up and took off,” mentioned Pandey, 23, recalling the aggravating afternoon of Sept. 30.
“I just stood there in shock for a couple of minutes, wondering what to do,” Pandey mentioned.
Pandey referred to as the motive force a number of occasions and messaged him on the Lyft app telling him he wished his cat again, he mentioned.
About two hours later, the motive force responded by way of the app, Pandey mentioned, telling him, “I don’t have anything of yours,” and “She isn’t there sorry.”
“Now he’s telling me there’s no cat?” Pandey mentioned.
Pandey contacted Lyft and the Austin Police Department and informed them what occurred, he mentioned, after which, in a panic, he determined to place the phrase out on social media.
“I didn’t expect that people would want to help, but I was desperate and didn’t know what else to do,” he mentioned. “I was really worried.”
“Need help!! Lyft driver drove off with my pet cat,” Pandey posted on Reddit and X, previously Twitter. He defined the state of affairs, then added, “Is there anyone who can help? What else can I do?!”
Hundreds of individuals responded to the posts and contacted the native information media and the Lyft company workplace, Pandey mentioned.
“They just jumped in to help,” he mentioned.
People from world wide turned invested in his story and wished to assist Pandey reunite with the black-and-white tuxedo cat he’d rescued as a kitten, he mentioned.
“I’m in Europe and kept waking up at night to see if you posted any updates,” wrote one consumer.
“Do you know the drivers name or plate number?!? I can find all of their info,” wrote one other.
“Facebook and ask people to share on Nextdoor Email local vets with a photo Visit the shelter in person Local news Posters with text large enough to be read by passing cars,” wrote another person.
Comments began snowballing on social media, and folks in Austin contacted native tv station KVUE about Pandey’s state of affairs, resulting in a narrative.
Pandey mentioned he labored across the clock, following up on social media leads and recommendation, hoping to get Tux again. He works as a software program engineer in Austin, and mentioned he’s all the time loved coming home to seek out Tux ready to be petted and fed.
“She’s been with me 2 ½ years — ever since I found her as a kitten,” he mentioned. “She was stuck on a library terrace at Drexel University [in Philadelphia], where I was going to college. I rescued her that day and we’ve been together ever since.”
He named the cat Tux after a pc working system, nevertheless it additionally helped that she had the suitable coloring and markings, he mentioned.
When he moved to Austin a couple of yr in the past, he mentioned his cat supplied consolation throughout a time when he didn’t know many individuals.
“She sleeps on the bed of course, and she likes to run around and have fun,” Pandey mentioned. “I was devastated, wondering if I’d get her back.”
Later that night, round 9 p.m. Saturday, the Lyft driver referred to as him, Pandey mentioned, after Austin police had interviewed the motive force about what occurred. The driver mentioned he drove off shortly as a result of he was startled, Pandey mentioned.
“He told me that if he’d known I’d had a cat, he wouldn’t have picked me up,” Pandey mentioned. “He said he was allergic to cats and would have canceled the ride. My drop-off location was a pet hospital, and I was holding a pet carrier, so it’s hard to figure that one out.”
Pandey mentioned the motive force informed him he didn’t have any details about what occurred to Tux. He additionally mentioned he’d picked up a number of different folks that afternoon and none of them had talked about seeing a cat within the automobile.
“How is that even possible?” Pandey mentioned.
Pandey bought a message from a Lyft representative saying she was sorry the cat was within the automobile when the motive force drove off, and likewise, “if your item is returned by the driver, you’ll see a standard return fee of $20 for their time and effort.”
On Sunday, there was a response from Lyft CEO David Risher on X:
“The initial response was awful,” Risher posted. “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.”
Lyft didn’t instantly reply to a request from The Washington Post to verify the motive force’s identify. Pandey requested folks not to dox the driver, and Risher requested folks not to “vilify” the driver. “He’s received unwarranted threats and is just as distraught as we all are,” Risher tweeted.
Lyft despatched out a notification to the corporate’s drivers and riders on a Lyft weblog and on social media asking for assist discovering Tux. The put up requested that folks share “lost cat” fliers with Tux’s face, and described her as sporting a heart-shaped medallion together with her identify on it round her neck.
Lyft additionally deployed investigators to the world to search for Tux.
On Sunday, a type of investigators noticed Tux cowering beneath a stairwell exterior an actual property firm’s workplace, a couple of mile from the place Pandey had been dropped off the day earlier than. The cat provider was nowhere to be discovered.
The investigator reunited Tux and Pandey.
“Tux was hungry and scared and covered in fleas, but she was really happy to see me,” Pandey mentioned. “I was just so grateful, I just hugged her and cried.”
He took Tux to a vet checkup on Monday, and there was no signal that she’d ever been sick, he mentioned.
“It had all disappeared and she’s now all cleaned up and she’s fine,” Pandey mentioned. “If she’d had an illness, it fixed itself.”
He mentioned he heard from Austin police on Monday that they’re nonetheless investigating the case.
Lyft launched an announcement saying the corporate plans to cowl Tux’s veterinary payments, and so they’re joyful Pandey has his cat again.
“We’ll continue to work directly with Palash to provide the support that they both need,” the assertion learn. “We are actively working with all involved to fully understand the situation — to help prevent it from happening again. We’re evaluating our policies to improve support for our community, including in cases like this.”
Pandey mentioned he hopes the corporate will take steps to make sure no different pet proprietor goes by way of what he did.
“If not for all the people who stopped what they were doing to help me out, I have to wonder if I’d have my cat back,” he mentioned.
“It’s restored my faith in people.”
