Published Nov 25, 2025
Ty Hundley / BGSU Athletics
During home football games at Bowling Green State University, spectators pack the stadiums waving fans with a picture of the team hero and chanting “Pudge! Pudge! Pudge!”
But the hero isn’t a 6-foot-tall football player. It’s the team’s new mascot, an adorable cat named Pudge who has become a viral celebrity since the college football season started. Pudge – an Exotic Shorthair, which is a cross between a Persian and American Shorthair – gets the fans so excited at games, where the smooshy-faced cat wears his own orange and brown Bowling Green Falcons jersey and keeps people company on the ground. During breaks, when Pudge’s handlers hold up the handsome cat, the entire crowd and team break into roars and chants and cheers.
“When they raise him up, the fans go crazy,” says George Carlson, Pudge’s owner, in an interview with Cats.com. “It’s wild, but I absolutely love it! It makes a lot of people happy.”
Ty Hundley / BGSU Athletics
Carlson is the Falcons’ starting long snapper, who graduated from Bowling Green in August but is playing with the team one more year. Pudge’s fame started just a day after George’s graduation and the day after the team had a scrimmage session. One player got hurt and felt down, so George decided to surprise his teammates by bringing his friendly cat to the locker room.
“I just thought it would be nice for a little change,” he says. “They’re like: ‘What’s this guy doing in here?’ A lot of them have never seen this breed.”
Several teammates were not cat fans and even felt a bit scared of them. That all changed when the harmless and sweet Pudge made his visit.
“He’s got a smooshed face and he sits there and doesn’t do much,” George says. “He charmed guys who were wary of cats.”
Fullback Leo Kemp said this to ESPN: “When I saw Pudge, I was super stoked. He was such a spirit lifter.”
Wide receiver Finn Hogan posted a video of Pudge on Instagram, and it went viral. The news media picked up the story, and the Exotic Shorthair started spreading joy all over the internet. Pudge’s effect on the Bowling Green football team has been phenomenal; home game attendance is up almost 60 percent this year, CBS News reported.
“People were just hooked on him, and they wanted more,” George says.
Pet food manufacturers have been sending care packages to Pudge, who now has a line of merchandise like t-shirts and his own Instagram page at @pudgethecatbgsu. George and his cat do meet-and-greet events on the Bowling Green campus that draw as many as 100 people wanting to meet the famous feline. At a Cat Fanciers’ Association show in Cleveland, more than 1,000 people came to see Pudge!
George Carlson
Pudge, a calm and relaxed cat, takes all the attention in stride – and at home, he is just purrfectly normal cat.
“He just kind of relaxes and hangs out,” George says. “He’s a good housecat; honestly, he eats and sleeps.”
When George’s father – Dr. Jim Carlson, an Illinois veterinarian who owns Riverside Animal Clinic & Holistic Center – took Pudge to Cincinnati for an away game, he was looking for a pet-friendly hotel. The hotel they stayed at waived its no-pet rule, once the management learned the travelling cat was Pudge.
“I’m just blown away by the popularity of him, but he’s such a good sport about it,” Dr. Carlson told ESPN. “Cats aren’t usually that social, and the fact that he is has just been magical.”
Pudge, beyond entertaining people as a mascot, has touched the Carlson family deeply. When George’s mother, Cristen, was battling cancer, she got Pudge as an 8-month-old kitten to bring comfort and joy to the family. When Cristen passed away, Pudge helped George cope with his grief.
Craig Bell / BGSU Athletics
George earned an individualized business degree, and he hopes to eventually manage his father’s clinic. For now, though, after he finishes with Bowling Green, George hopes to become an NFL long snapper.
“I love snapping. Second to that, I love cats,” he jokes.
George marvels at what a gift Pudge has been to him, his family, his school, and the world.
“He brings me a lot of joy. I’m just happy to bring all that joy to everyone else,” he says. “I love seeing his face, and I’m happy that other people can cherish him, for sure.”
