Bowling Green, Ohio — To show power and dominance, a lot of colleges use real animals as mascots to fire up the crowd at football games.

Bowling Green State University in Ohio is no exception, only their warrior guide is more Fancy Feast than terrible beast.

Pudge , Bowling Green's 3-year-old Persian cat, attends every home game. His mere presence is like catnip for their dogged fans. Bowling Green's football players say Pudge has become a phenomenon.

"There's thousands of people there just to see a cat," one player told CBS News.

Pudge, a 3-year-old Persian cat, and the new mascot for the Bowling Green State University football team in Bowling Green, Ohio. October 2025. CBS News

Pudge is owned by George Carlson, who also happens to be the team's long snapper.

"People love him, a

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