A Chinese Man Eats Cat Food to Fund His Education in Switzerland (4 photos + 1 video)
A Chinese medical school graduate has started eating cat food and donating blood to save money. He's using the money he saves to pay for his studies in Switzerland. 
Mary Renwu lives on cheap food and gets enough protein from cat food to save money, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The graduate student calls himself the most frugal Chinese man in Switzerland. He gained online popularity after revealing that he meets his protein needs by including cat food in his diet. Renwu reportedly survives on meager rations to pay for his studies.
Known online as the Master Miser, he has amassed over 12,000 followers on social media. After graduating from medical school in China and saving 300,000 yuan ($42,000) while working in Shanghai, he paid for his PhD at a leading research institution in Switzerland, a country known for its high cost of living.
"In Switzerland, a PhD student typically requires 1,000 to 1,500 Swiss francs ($1,300 to $2,000) per month. I've seen many students who pay their own way drop out in their third year simply because they couldn't afford tuition and living expenses. I can't agree with that," the student shared.
Renwu explained that he had already decided to live on a budget before arriving in Switzerland. He explained that foreign students are not allowed to work legally in the country, so they are forced to save wherever possible. He called saving an art, hence his social media handle. 
In one of his more popular posts, the graduate student shared an unusual strategy for maintaining health and muscle mass: eating cat food from the Swiss supermarket chain Migros to supplement his diet with protein.
"Many were shocked by my choice. But I did the math." A three-kilogram bag of cat food costs just 3.75 Swiss francs ($5) and contains a whopping 32% protein. That means you get 256 units of protein for every franc—a better deal than any food I've ever found in Switzerland. Never mix it with milk. In my experience, the best way to mask the smell is to eat it with peanuts. It keeps you feeling full for a long time," he said.
The student also revealed an unexpected benefit of cat food. He shared that his fellow graduate students were losing hair, but cat food contained ingredients that made their fur shiny and soft. According to Renwu, his hair had never looked better. In another post, he even donated blood in Switzerland to receive free food.
"To be honest, donating blood here is much more generous than in China. You get as many drinks and chocolates as you want. Plus sandwiches, soup, chips, and jelly beans. It's basically a buffet. I always plan to donate blood around lunchtime. That's when the soup is hottest and the food is most plentiful," he wrote.
The graduate student concluded his post by promoting what he calls healthy frugality. Having received the scholarship, he will soon leave Switzerland and begin a visiting program at Harvard University, planning to continue living on a modest budget in Boston. This story has sparked widespread reactions on Chinese social media.
