Pudge The Cat has everyone purring at Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Retired NFL star and current coach Eddie George has some competition when it comes to being the most popular figure on Bowling Green's football team.Pudge The Cat has become a social media sensation since receiver Finn Hogan put a video on TikTok that showed the feline inside the locker room at the Sebo Athletic Center. Since then, the big orange cat has racked up the shares and likes across multiple platforms and gotten shoutouts on the likes of "Good Morning America."Pudge made his sideline debut Thursday night, complete with a cameo on ESPN, as the Falcons defeated Lafayette 26-7.The 3-year-old exotic shorthair Persian belongs to long snapper George Carlson, who brought Pudge to the complex to lift the spirits of his Falcons teammates during an off day."I enjoy just making people happy and putting smiles on people's faces. He's done that for me for so long, so I wanted to share that joy," Carlson said.Besides the TikTok video, Pudge also has his own page on Instagram and wears his own jersey when inside the locker room. Through a NIL deal, T-shirts featuring a cartoon caricature of Pudge wearing a BG helmet are being sold."It's awesome to see he's taking off, great for the program and great for George because he's a great cat," said linebacker Gideon Lampron, who added that people are asking him about the kitty on campus.Pudge did have some doubters at first, especially George, the head coach, and cornerback Jalen McClendon. George is allergic to cats and McClendon was attacked by a cat when he was 13. There have been no cat-astrophes: Both have become fans of the feline, whose breed is hypoallergenic."Pudge is cute. My wife loves Pudge. He's become part of the (football) family," George said. "Pudge stays out of my way, I stay out of his way and we are fine."