Frenzy Over Pudge the Cat Prompts PETA Plea to Bowling Green Football Player: Sideline the Stadium Visits!

For Immediate Release:
September 5, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Pudge the cat has quickly become the breakout star of Bowling Green State University’s football program—but the flat-faced feline’s locker room visits have earned a flag on the play from PETA. In a letter sent today to Pudge’s guardian, Bowling Green’s George Carlson, PETA asks the long snapper to give Pudge a bye week and keep him home during tomorrow’s game—or better yet, let him stay home for the rest of the season.

The reason for PETA’s appeal? As a breathing-impaired breed, Pudge and other cats like him are more likely to suffer from a multitude of health problems throughout their lives, thanks to their cartoonishly flat faces, which cause their eyes to bulge and their nostrils and trachea to be abnormally narrow and make breathing a constant struggle for them. “Do you ever hear Pudge wheezing, snorting, or snoring? Those sounds are not normal for cats—they are signs that he is struggling for air. Imagine having to breathe through a straw—that is what life is like for breathing-impaired breeds like Pudge,” writes PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien in the letter.

PETA points out that with Pudge generating buzz on social media, people may be inspired to buy their own flat-faced cat, leading to more animals being bred to suffer—and fueling the animal homelessness crisis.

“We’ll give you an extra point if you add ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’ to your Pudge merchandise,” continues O’Brien in the letter. “Bowling Green State University’s motto is ‘Be the Good,’ and we believe you have the power to do just that for Pudge and other cats like him.” 

PETA notes that the City of Ojai, California, recently banned the breeding of Persian cats and other animals purposefully bred to have deformed bodies and extreme features that cause them a lifetime of suffering—following in the footsteps of Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, which have all banned or restricted the breeding of breathing-impaired breeds.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Carlson follows.

September 5, 2025

Dear Mr. Carlson:

I’m writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 10.4 million members and supporters worldwide. It’s obvious how much you adore your cat, Pudge, and enjoy showing him off to your fans and teammates, but we’re writing to ask that you leave Pudge at home—starting with tomorrow’s game. 

Here’s the ugly truth that breeders are hiding in their playbook: Cats like Pudge are bred to have cartoonishly flat faces, which cause them a lifetime of debilitating health problems. Their abnormally shaped skulls cause their eyes to bulge out, subjecting them to excruciatingly painful eye conditions and disorders. And having a smushed-in face means their nostrils and trachea are almost squeezed shut, making breathing a constant struggle for them. Do you ever hear Pudge wheezing, snorting, or snoring? Those sounds are not normal for cats—they are signs that he is struggling for air. Imagine having to breathe through a straw—that is what life is like for breathing-impaired breeds like Pudge.

We know Pudge is adored by many, but promoting him to your fans will likely send people in search of their own breathing-impaired cat and drive them straight to breeders who purposely breed these cats to have unnatural characteristics that come at the expense of their health.

Please will you give Pudge a bye week, or better yet, let him stay home for the rest of the season? We’ll give you an extra point if you add ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’ to your Pudge merchandise. Doing so would be a game-changer for the millions of homeless animals in shelters. 

Bowling Green State University’s motto is “Be the Good,” and we believe you have the power to do just that for Pudge and other cats like him. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Colleen O’Brien

Senior Vice President, PETA