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The Eddie George era started out with a bang on Thursday night as the Bowling Green Falcons topped the Lafayette Leopards, 26-7.
Cameron Pettaway may have started the game off with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Mar’Kel Porter may have run for a touchdown and Jackson Kleather may have made four field goals but none of the moments overshadowed a cool cat on the sidelines.
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Pudge The Cat in his crate during the game between the Bowling Green Falcons and the Lafayette Leopards at Doyt Perry Stadium on August 28, 2025 in Bowling Green, Ohio. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Pudge The Cat went viral on social media during the game as Bowling Green staff members showcased the feline during his debut. The 3-year-old exotic shorthair Persian belongs to Falcons long snapper George Carlson. He originally brought the cat into the facility to lift the spirits of his teammates on 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,” he said.
It wasn’t an immediate hit in the locker room. George admitted that he’s allergic to cats and cornerback Jalen McClendon said a cat attacked him when he was 13.
Bowling Green long snapper George Carlson, holding his 3-year old Persian shorthair cat Pudge, is interviewed at the Sebo Athletic Center at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Joseph Reedy)
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“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.”
Bowling Green fullback Leo Kemp may have kickstarted the virality when he posted a video on his TikTok account showing the cat.
“Y’all might have a 300 million dollar facility,” he wrote as the screen caption. “But do you have a locker room cat?”
The clip was viewed more than 367,000 times and received comments from the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.
Pudge The Cat is hoisted during the game between the Bowling Green Falcons and the Lafayette Leopards at Doyt Perry Stadium on Aug. 28, 2025 in Bowling Green, Ohio. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
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Pudge also has his own Instagram account, which has just over 3,600 followers. Through an NIL deal, Pudge T-shirts showing him as a cartoon wearing a BG helmet are up for sale.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.