For more than 30 years, Kihei Rent A Car has been helping visitors explore Maui. But there is another group that has been part of the KRAC story for almost as long.
Cats.
The story goes back to the late 1990s, when two cats simply appeared from the bushes at Kihei Rent A Car. Their names were Inky and Tiger, and they quickly made themselves at home.
Inky was completely black. Tiger looked like her name suggested, with a beautiful tiger-like coat. And unlike the cats that came after them, Inky and Tiger weren’t content to stay outside.
They spent plenty of time inside the office, around the counter, becoming part of the daily activity at KRAC. No cats since then have quite claimed the counter the way those two did.
And Then There Were More Cats
Over the years, other cats found their way to Kihei Rent A Car.
Some appear to have been dropped off. Others simply discovered that there was food and a safe place to hang around. A few had kittens, and before long, the little colony had grown.
At one point, there were about 35 cats around KRAC.
Some eventually found homes. Employees adopted cats. And one customer even loved one of the KRAC cats enough to take it home to the mainland.
Today, the aging colony is much smaller, with about eight cats, but the tradition of caring for them continues.
A KRAC Team Effort
The cats are fed by KRAC employees every morning and evening.
Even the food has a little KRAC story behind it. Money earned from recycling at the office helps pay for the cats’ food.
It’s a small, practical system that has kept generations of cats fed and cared for over the years.
And sometimes the care goes far beyond food.
Meet Socks, the Patriarch
Socks is a black-and-white cat and the current patriarch of the colony.
A couple of years ago, Socks became seriously ill. One of our customers cared enough about him to pay for Socks to go to the veterinarian.
While he recovered, Acacia took him home and kept him comfortable.
Today, Socks is healthy again and back where he belongs, hanging out with the rest of the colony.
It’s a wonderful reminder that the connection between KRAC and its cats isn’t one-way. Over the years, the cats have become part of the lives of employees, customers and the people who know them.
And Then There’s Raskal
Raskal has her own special relationship with KRAC customers.
We think she may have been dumped off by an owner, but somehow she found her way to Kihei Rent A Car.
These days, Raskal likes to hang out with customers waiting for the airport shuttle. She comes inside, too, although she hasn’t claimed the counter like Inky and Tiger once did.
Apparently, she has decided that greeting the customers is enough responsibility for one cat.
Oreo and the Rest of the Crew
Oreo is another black-and-white member of the colony. He’s younger than Socks and has one feature that makes him easy to recognize: his tail is bent.
Every cat has a story. Some are easy to remember. Some have been around so long that their history has become part of the fabric of the business.
That’s what makes the KRAC cats special.
They aren’t mascots that were brought in for a marketing campaign. They weren’t part of a business plan.
They just showed up.
And over the years, they became part of the family.
Decades of Cats & Aloha
Kihei Rent A Car has changed a lot since its early days. Maui has changed. Cars have changed. Generations of employees and customers have come and gone.
And through it all, there have been cats.
Some slept in the bushes. Some wandered into the office. Some found homes with employees or customers. Some stayed for many years. And some, like Socks, were given a second chance when they needed it.
That’s what makes the KRAC cat colony more than a collection of neighborhood cats.
It’s decades of people caring for animals that found their way to their door.
And we think that’s a pretty good part of the Kihei Rent A Car story.
So the next time you’re picking up your rental car at KRAC, keep an eye out.
You may see a cat.
And if you’re lucky, she may decide you’re worth saying hello to.
🌺 Kihei Rent A Car: Cars, cats and 35 years of aloha.
