‘Best travel buddy’: China kitten famous for riding with truck driver owner, holding handrail
Easy-riding feline travel companion called ‘Dumpling’ has catnip for journey; owner even places litter tray near spot where he sits
A travelling cat in China has been humorously likened to a bus conductor after videos of him riding with ease with a truck driver went viral.
The driver from northern China’s Hebei province, nicknamed Xiangzi, describes his eight-month-old tuxedo cat Jiaozi, which means “dumpling”, as his “best travel buddy”.
In December, video clips of Jiaozi comfortably sitting alongside the truck’s front window with its paws on a handrail went viral on mainland social media.
The two most popular videos on Xiangzi’s account, which has 60,000 followers, have 1.4 million and 630,000 likes respectively.
In some videos, Jiaozi appears to be enjoying the view outside the window despite the bumpy ride. In others, he holds onto the handrail while licking catnip that his owner put down near his spot.
Xiangzi also placed a mat and the cat litter box next to the spot.
The driver said Jiaozi had been riding with him since he was one month old, and grew from a carsick kitten to his 7.5kg co-pilot, “supervising” his driving and taking care of the goods he transports.