“I was racing next to the car, banging on the windows and shouting, but he just sped up and took off,” stated Pandey, 23, recalling the hectic afternoon of Sept. 30.
“I just stood there in shock for a couple of minutes, wondering what to do,” Pandey stated.
Pandey referred to as the driver a number of instances and messaged him at the Lyft app telling him he sought after his cat again, he stated.
About two hours later, the driver spoke back throughout the app, Pandey stated, 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 stated.
Pandey contacted Lyft and the Austin Police Department and informed them what came about, he stated, after which, in a panic, he made up our minds 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 stated. “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 placement, then added, “Is there anyone who can help? What else can I do?!”
Hundreds of other folks spoke back to the posts and contacted the native news media and the Lyft company place of job, Pandey stated.
“They just jumped in to help,” he stated.
People from around the globe changed into invested in his tale and sought after to assist Pandey reunite with the black-and-white tuxedo cat he’d rescued as a kitten, he stated.
“I’m in Europe and kept waking up at night to see if you posted any updates,” wrote one person.
“Do you know the drivers name or plate number?!? I can find all of their info,” wrote any 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 any individual else.
Comments began snowballing on social media, and other folks in Austin contacted native tv station KVUE about Pandey’s state of affairs, resulting in a story.
Pandey stated he labored across the clock, following up on social media leads and recommendation, hoping to get Tux again. He works as a device engineer in Austin, and stated he’s at all times loved coming house to search 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 stated. “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 computer operating system, however it additionally helped that she had the suitable coloring and markings, he stated.
When he moved to Austin a few yr in the past, he stated his cat equipped convenience throughout a time when he didn’t know many of us.
“She sleeps on the bed of course, and she likes to run around and have fun,” Pandey stated. “I was devastated, wondering if I’d get her back.”
Later that night time, round 9 p.m. Saturday, the Lyft driver referred to as him, Pandey stated, after Austin police had interviewed the driver about what came about. The driver stated he drove off briefly as a result of he used to be startled, Pandey stated.
“He told me that if he’d known I’d had a cat, he wouldn’t have picked me up,” Pandey stated. “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 stated the driver informed him he didn’t have any information about what came about to Tux. He additionally stated he’d picked up a number of different those who afternoon and none of them had discussed seeing a cat within the automotive.
“How is that even possible?” Pandey stated.
Pandey were given a message from a Lyft representative pronouncing she used to be sorry the cat used to be within the automotive when the driver drove off, and in addition, “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 used to be 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 driver’s title. Pandey requested other folks not to dox the driver, and Risher requested other 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 soliciting for assist discovering Tux. The post asked that folks share “lost cat” fliers with Tux’s face, and described her as dressed in a heart-shaped medallion with her title on it round her neck.
Lyft additionally deployed investigators to the realm to search for Tux.
On Sunday, a type of investigators noticed Tux cowering underneath a stairwell out of doors an actual property corporate’s place of job, a few mile from the place Pandey have been dropped off the day ahead of. The cat provider used to be 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 stated. “I was just so grateful, I just hugged her and cried.”
He took Tux to a vet checkup on Monday, and there used to be no signal that she’d ever been in poor health, he stated.
“It had all disappeared and she’s now all cleaned up and she’s fine,” Pandey stated. “If she’d had an illness, it fixed itself.”
He stated he heard from Austin police on Monday that they’re nonetheless investigating the case.
Lyft launched a observation pronouncing the corporate plans to hide Tux’s veterinary expenses, they usually’re glad Pandey has his cat again.
“We’ll continue to work directly with Palash to provide the support that they both need,” the observation 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 stated he hopes the corporate will take steps to verify no different puppy proprietor is going thru 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 stated.
“It’s restored my faith in people.”