Elon Musk calls Waymo robotaxis ‘pet destroyers’ and claims Tesla has the answer

Published: 22:19 EDT, 19 October 2026 | Updated: 22:19 EDT, 19 October 2026

Elon Musk has talked up his Cybercab as he goes to war with rival Waymo over its controversial history of driverless car animal collisions.

The Tesla CEO made some inflammatory comments during a livestreamed interview with Tesla Owners Of Silicon Valley, claiming Waymo vehicles had run over numerous animals.

He claimed: ‘Maybe what a lot of people don’t know is that Waymos are like pet destroyers. Maybe Waymo has made some improvements on that front, but they do run over a lot of pets, and we don’t want to run over the pets.’

Fighting words: Elon Musk branded rival Waymo’s driverless cars ‘pet destroyers’ as the billionaire promotes his Cybercabs

Reckless? Waymos have had a number of documented animal collisions with driverless cars

Musk’s comments come as the two companies compete to expand their autonomous taxi services, with safety concerns continuing to plague the industry.

The billionaire said Tesla was working to ensure its robotaxis could detect animals in difficult driving conditions, particularly at night when small pets can be difficult to spot against dark roads.

He explained: ‘We have these challenges of literally like: gray kittens on a gray tarmac with tar seams at night in low visibility. And it’s like, “Can we not run over the kittens” type of thing.’

Musk claimed Tesla had solved the problem and said the company would deploy an update, although he did not provide a timeline or data showing how effectively the technology could detect animals and prevent collisions.

Waymo has faced criticism in the past over animal collisions, most notably after the death of KitKat, a beloved cat who had become a fixture at Randa’s Market in San Francisco’s Mission District.

The cat was struck by a Waymo robotaxi late last year and died later that night, sparking an outpouring of grief from locals who knew him as the ‘mayor of 16th Street’.

Waymo initially claimed the cat darted underneath the vehicle as it was pulling away after stopping to pick up passengers.

But in December, The New York Times published surveillance footage showing the moments before the collision, raising fresh questions about what the car could detect.

The footage showed a bystander crouching near the front of the vehicle in an attempt to coax KitKat away from its tire. The cat then moved further underneath the car before the Waymo pulled away, running him over.

Competition: Tesla has a range of Cybercabs that are primed to compete in the taxi market

Weeks after KitKat’s death, another Waymo struck a small, unleashed dog in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood.

The collision happened around 8pm on November 30, 2025, near the intersection of Scott and Eddy streets.

Waymo confirmed that its vehicle had made contact with the dog while it was in the roadway.

According to KRON4, the dog suffered severe pelvic trauma and was later put down by its family.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Waymo reported at least nine crashes involving animals between July 2025 and July 2026, six of which the company described as involving domestic animals.

Tesla also reported an animal collision during the same period, although it involved a supervised robotaxi.

The comparison comes with caveats. Tesla operated a smaller fleet, with most of its unsupervised robotaxi operations concentrated in Austin, while differences in fleet size and operating conditions make direct comparisons difficult.

RIP: The death of San Francisco cat KitKat, caused by a Waymo robotaxi, sparked uproar in the local community