Fans of college football, cats, and especially both are in love with Pudge, the exotic shorthair who tours with the Bowling Green Falcons. The flat-faced feline belongs to starting long-snapper George Carlson and has been dubbed their official mascot since rising to online stardom in August 2025. Pudge now has his own security detail and is getting care packages from top pet food brands. He even appeared in a popular video game. Meet Pudge the Cat, emotional support mascot Carlson first met Pudge after doctors diagnosed his mother, Cristen, with stage four ovarian cancer in 2021. The young long-snapper was particularly close to his mother, and the news was devastating enough to interrupt his football career, according to ESPN. Cristen raised her son on a small farm and constantly brought home animals to care for, including cats. Carlson had a special affinity for the flat-faced ones like Persians and exotic shorthairs. So, while still fighting her illness, Cristen went out and adopted Pudge for her son in 2023. The following year, Cristen passed away due to complication with the cancer-but Carlson still had Pudge. @unclepudgy/Instagram Last August, after a rough practice, Carlson brought Pudge into the locker room, where the cat instantly improved morale. The resulting Instagram reel went viral to the sound of the Jet 2 Holiday meme. “Fall camp so rough we got a locker room cat,” the caption read. Commenters flooded the post with Pudge love. @uvtides/Instagram “Might come to homecoming after 9 years just to see this cat,” said @uvtides. “Cat you mean backbone to the establishment,” wrote @ryannemarieorosco. @ryannemarieorosco/Instagram Pudge becomes a star In the weeks after Pudge went viral, he got his own line of merchandise, a dedicated security escort, and appeared in EA’s College Football 26 as the “Star of the Week” in early September. He’s probably got more name recognition than any of Bowling Green’s players at this point. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mid-American Conference (@macsports) On Sept. 20, three different college football organizations got together with Pudge’s official account on Instagram and posted shots of the cat on the field at Louisville. He’s tucked safely into his bubble carrier backpack, which is strapped to to a large man with a hat reading “PUDGE SECURITY.” Don’t mess with the star. Thankfully, Pudge hasn’t let the fame go to his head. He greets fans for selfies at tailgate parties and lets handlers lift him for the game-day Simba cam. Interviews with the feline tend to be rather one-sided, however. In early October, Steve Hartman of CBS News profiled Pudge and credited him with turning the team’s luck around. The adorable cat brought back the fans, filling stadium seats with cat people. “Home game attendance is up almost 60 percent this year,” Hartman reported. “That’s the largest increase of any division one school in the country. No doubt due in part to the long-snapper and the long napper, who have given everyone in this community reason to cheer.” On Oct. 11, the Falcons managed an incredible rally to keep the Battle of I-75 Trophy from their rivals. The internet is chaotic-but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here. Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online. The post “Backbone of the establishment”: College football mascot Pudge the Cat comforts grieving a son, saves his team, and goes viral appeared first on The Daily Dot.