How one woman crashed 100 weddings to feed 120 stray cats — and beat social anxiety along the way

Most people leave weddings with favours, selfies, and a mild food coma. Xuanxuan leaves with takeaway boxes — for 120 cats.

The woman from Baoshan in southwestern China has quietly turned wedding banquets into an unlikely lifeline, both for herself and for the growing army of stray cats she cares for, as reported by South China Morning Post. Over the past three years, she has attended — or, more accurately, “crashed” — nearly 100 weddings, collecting untouched leftover food to feed the animals at her home shelter, all while battling social anxiety that once made speaking to strangers feel impossible.

Xuanxuan, who previously worked part-time as a video editor, has long struggled with social anxiety. But in the winter of 2022, her life took an unexpected turn when she began rescuing stray cats she found shivering outdoors. One rescue led to another, and before she realised it, her home had transformed into a shelter housing more than 120 cats.

Feeding them, however, came at a steep cost. Xuanxuan estimates that even a single kitten requires about 3 yuan (40 US cents) a day — pushing her daily expenses beyond 300 yuan.

The breakthrough came at a wedding.

While attending a banquet, she noticed large quantities of untouched food being cleared away and thrown out. The sight stayed with her, and soon after, she launched what she now calls her “Leftover Rescue Plan” — collecting clean, uneaten dishes from wedding banquets and repurposing them into meals for the cats waiting at home.

Approaching strangers wasn’t easy. “I’ve always experienced a bit of social anxiety. Every time I open my mouth, it takes a lot of courage,” she told Cover News. “But thinking of all the cats waiting at home motivated me to step out and face the public.”

What followed surprised her.

Rather than turning her away, most newlyweds responded with kindness and curiosity. Many expressed support for her mission, and some even invited her to stay and enjoy the celebration. As a thank-you, Xuanxuan typically gifts the couple 100 yuan (US$14), jokingly calling it “a meal ticket from a kitten or puppy.”

She now attends wedding banquets roughly once every 10 days. During especially busy periods, she can return home with up to 30 kilograms of untouched food — including chicken, sea bass, and shrimp. Once home, she carefully re-steams the dishes to reduce oil and salt before serving them to the animals.

Her efforts save her between 1,000 yuan (US$140) and 2,000 yuan each month. Just as importantly, they prevent large amounts of food from going to waste.

Xuanxuan documents her routine on social media, posting videos of herself packing leftover food at weddings. The clips have struck a chord online, helping her amass over 1.5 million followers. One video alone has drawn more than 50 million views and 1.5 million likes.

“What I’m doing is meaningful — reducing waste and helping stray animals,” she said, as quoted by SCMP. “If more people notice this, I hope it encourages them to cherish food and care for stray animals.”

She added that the experience has been transformative for her as well. “They’ve given me the courage to break out of my shell and engage in activities I never dared to pursue before,” she said, referring to the cats.

China’s stray cat population is estimated to range between 22 million and over 53 million, a figure that continues to rise due to pet abandonment and low spaying and neutering rates. Against that backdrop, Xuanxuan’s story has resonated deeply online, sparking widespread discussion and an outpouring of support.