NEED TO KNOW

Pudge the cat has won fans over

The scrunchy-faced exotic shorthair Persian is a new fixture along the sidelines at Bowling Green football games

Pudge's owner George Carlson credits the cat for helping to inspire, and guiding him through his own personal loss

Pudge the cat was taking a nap when PEOPLE tried to reach him on a recent Zoom call.

The 3-year-old exotic shorthair Persian has good reason for being tired — he’s the new (scrunched-up) face of Bowling Green State University football thanks to his owner, long snapper George Carlson.

The furry fellow made his preseason debut in the locker room at the Ohio university over the summer, Carlson tells PEOPLE, and things haven’t been the same since.

“We were about halfway through fall camp, we had a scrimmage practice an

See Full Page