A Chinese PhD student studying overseas—self-dubbed “the most frugal Chinese in Switzerland”—has become an internet sensation after revealing how he meets his protein needs: by eating cat food.
Living on an extremely tight budget to fund his medical doctorate, the student even donates blood to get free meals. Online, he’s known as “The Artful Cheapskate”and has amassed over 12,000 followers.
After earning his medical degree in China and saving 300,000 yuan (about US$42,000) while working in Shanghai, he moved to Switzerland for a self-funded PhD at a top-tier research university. However, Switzerland’s high cost of living poses a huge challenge for students.
“In Switzerland, a PhD student typically needs 1,000 to 1,500 Swiss Francs (US2,000) per month,”he explained. Many self-funded students drop out within three years because of the financial strain. Since international students aren’t allowed to work legally in Switzerland, he chose to live extremely frugally.
To maintain his health on a shoestring budget, the student turned to cat food as his primary protein source. A 3kg bag of cat food from Swiss supermarket Migros costs just 3.75 Swiss Francs (US$5) and contains 32% protein—making it, in his view, the best protein deal in the country.
He also shared a trick to make the cat food more enjoyable: “Never mix it with milk. The best way to hide the smell is to eat it with party peanuts. It keeps you full for hours.”
Surprisingly, despite his unusual diet, he claims a benefit: “While my fellow PhD students are losing hair, mine has never looked better.”He believes this is due to the ingredients in cat food that promote healthy fur.
In another post, he revealed that he donates blood in Switzerland to get free meals. “Blood donation here is much more generous than in China. You get drinks, chocolates, sandwiches, soup, chips, and even gummies—it’s basically a buffet. I always schedule my donations around lunchtime to get the best food.”
Recently, he secured a scholarship and will soon leave Switzerland for a visiting research program at Harvard University, where he plans to keep up his thrifty lifestyle.
His story has sparked heated discussions online. Some users praised his creativity, while others expressed doubts. “He’s a legend,”one commenter wrote, “but I could never handle the fishy taste of cat food.”Another suggested, “Just take a weekend trip to Germany and buy some meat.”A third joked, “You could livestream yourself eating cat food and make money. Plus, Zurich train station gives out free meals.”
