Chinese woman overcomes social anxiety by feeding 120 stray cats with wedding leftovers
A Chinese woman overcame social anxiety by collecting wedding leftovers to feed 120 stray cats.
A woman from southwestern China has gone viral after turning her struggle with social anxiety into a unique mission that combines compassion, courage and food waste reduction.
By attending nearly 100 wedding banquets of strangers over three years, she has managed to feed more than 120 stray cats using untouched leftover food.
From anxiety to animal rescue
According to a report by South China Morning Post, the woman, known online as Xuanxuan, is from Baoshan in Yunnan province. She previously worked part time as a video editor but battled severe social anxiety, which made even simple conversations difficult.
Her life took a decisive turn in the winter of 2022 when she began rescuing stray cats she found shivering outdoors. What started as a few rescues soon grew into a full scale shelter, with more than 120 cats eventually finding refuge in her home.
The financial burden was heavy. Xuanxuan explained that feeding one small cat costs around 3 yuan, roughly 40 US cents, per day. With so many animals to care for, her daily expenses often exceeded 300 yuan.
The idea sparked at a wedding
As per the outlet, the breakthrough came when she attended a wedding and noticed large quantities of untouched food being thrown away. The sight troubled her, especially as she struggled daily to afford food for her cats.
This moment inspired what she later called her “Leftover rescue plan”. The idea was simple yet bold. She would ask permission to collect untouched food from wedding banquets and bring it home for the animals.
At first, approaching strangers was daunting. “I’ve always experienced a bit of social anxiety. Every time I open my mouth, it takes a lot of courage. But thinking of all the cats waiting at home motivated me to step out and face the public,” she told Cover News.
Support, savings and social media fame
Contrary to her fears, most newlyweds responded warmly. Many not only agreed but encouraged her to take the food. As a token of appreciation, Xuanxuan often gives the couple 100 yuan, jokingly calling it “a meal ticket from a kitten or puppy”.
According to SCMP, she attends a wedding roughly every 10 days. At her busiest, she has carried home up to 30kg of clean leftover dishes such as chicken, sea bass and shrimp. She carefully re steams the food to reduce oil and salt before feeding it to the animals.
Her efforts save between 1,000 and 2,000 yuan each month and help cut food waste. Videos of her packing leftovers have struck a chord online, earning her over 1.5 million followers. One clip alone crossed 50 million views.
“What I’m doing is meaningful reducing waste and helping stray animals,” she said. She added that the mission helped both her and the cats heal together, giving her the courage to face a world she once feared.
