A 27-year-old woman in China has gone viral for collecting leftovers from strangers’ wedding banquets to feed more than 120 rescued stray cats.

Known as Xuanxuan, she spent three years attending about 100 weddings, making sure untouched food was saved instead of wasted each time.

Xuanxuan, from Baoshan in Yunnan province, once struggled with social anxiety while working part time as a video editor.

In 2022, she began rescuing cats she found shivering outdoors. Over time, her home gradually transformed into a shelter filled with needy animals.

At first, Xuanxuan paid for everything herself, with daily feeding costs topping 300 yuan (around $41). But when she attended a wedding, she saw untouched dishes being thrown away.

That moment sparked her ‘Leftover Rescue Plan,’ saving food from waste and feeding her growing shelter.

For three years, she attended banquets roughly every ten days. At her busiest, she carried home up to 30 kilograms of untouched food.

Back home, she re steamed meals to reduce oil and salt, saving up to 2,000 yuan monthly (around $284) while cutting food waste.

“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. They’ve given me the courage to break out of my shell, ” she added.