Waymo says its self driving automobile struck a cat in San Francisco solely after the animal abruptly darted beneath because the automobile started to tug away … TMZ has discovered.

An organization spokesperson tells TMZ … “The belief and the protection of the communities we serve is our highest precedence. We reviewed this, and whereas our automobile was stopped to choose up passengers, a close-by cat darted underneath our automobile because it was pulling away.”

The spokesperson continued … “We ship our deepest sympathies to the cat’s proprietor and the group who knew and liked him, and we can be making a donation to an area animal rights group in his honor.”