Joaquín found Chikitita by the side of the road in April 2022, when she was barely a kitten.
She was the only survivor of her litter after an attack by other animals. Joaquín, a truck driver from Los Ángeles, in the Biobío Region, didn’t think twice: he brought her into the cab, and from that day on, they have never been apart. He made her a bed of her own, installed her food bowls on the dashboard, and even had a reflective vest sewn for her to wear in loading and unloading areas.
Today, Chikitita has her favorite spot in a hammock next to the windshield, where she sunbathes while they travel together along Chile’s highways. When Joaquín gets out to inspect the truck, she follows him closely, walks across the cargo, and jumps into his arms as if she were supervising the work. What began as a rescue has turned into nearly 500 thousand people following this duo’s life on TikTok as they travel around the country together.