A wildcat college mascot is a symbol of enthusiasm, energy, and a competitive spirit. Many colleges and universities around the world adopt the wildcat as their mascot due to its strong and fearless nature. The wildcat is often associated with traits such as agility, strength, and stealth, which are desirable qualities in a sports team. The choice of a wildcat as a college mascot represents a fierce determination to succeed, both on and off the field. The wildcat embodies the school's identity and spirit, motivating and uniting students, alumni, and fans. It serves as a rallying point during athletic events, encouraging school pride and creating a sense of community among supporters.

UCLA’s ‘informal mascot’ Powell Cat has died. Some are calling for a memorial statue

A memorial service is planned. Shirts are being sold. People far and wide are posting tributes online and thousands are responding and liking the posts.

Few achieve this kind of celebrity in life and adulation in death. But UCLA’s beloved stray — Powell Cat — did.

The cat, who used they/them pronouns, according to the official Powell Cat Instagram page, died at age 10 Thursday, ascending to kitty heaven, leaving behind earthly fans and friends grieving the loss of a campus mainstay. The cat lived at the university for years, with the earliest known photos dating back to 2015.

“Rest in pawer, Powell Cat,” tweeted the official UCLA page.

Students’ informal Powell Cat memorial on Monday, at the UCLA’s Kaufman Hall, where Powell Cat would sit with their student friends.

(Kathy Brown / UCLA Library)

Powell Cat was such a feature of campus life at UCLA that the school sold shirts featuring the black-and-white stray, and campus tour guides mentioned the furry feline when leading prospective students around the college.

“People have called Powell Cat the informal mascot of UCLA,” said Kathy Brown, assistant to the University Librarian at UCLA Library and primary staff caretaker of Powell Cat since 2020. Brown, who works in the Charles E. Young Research Library, came to campus every day during the pandemic and took on the responsibility of feeding Powell Cat and making sure the friendly cat was safe and taken care of.

The cat first lived by their namesake Powell Library. About two years later, Powell Cat ventured off to the brick steps of Glorya Kaufman Hall, where they could be found soaking up the sun or sprawled out playing with toys or catnip brought to them by friends and admirers. Powell Cat was known for being incredibly friendly to humans, cuddling up with hundreds of different students.

One student told Brown after the cat’s death that he heard about Powell Cat when applying to UCLA. The first thing he did when he got to campus was go to visit Powell Cat. The stray was there, waiting for him at Kaufman Hall.

“Some of my fondest memories, and this is shared by a lot of students, is [Powell Cat] would crawl into your lap and get comfortable and you had to be somewhere but you couldn’t leave because Powell Cat. Powell Cat made [students] late to a lot of 8 a.m. classes,” Brown said.

The last time Brown saw Powell Cat, one week ago, her legs fell asleep because Powell Cat lay on them for so long.

Powell Cat, 2021 (Kathy Brown / UCLA Library)

On top of taking care of Powell Cat, Brown was also responsible for the cat’s meme-ified Instagram page, where 15,600 fans who follow @powellcatofficial could expect updates and photos of the cat — whose account is understandably listed as a “public figure.”

“If you see the cat, you post it on your Insta story,” said Navkaram Gurm, who went to UCLA until 2021. “It’s the UCLA tradition. There’s a lot of tradition attached to sharing the cat.”

Though the cat was already a popular figure at UCLA, the pandemic and social media hype certainly contributed to their widespread fame, Brown said.

“There’s no competing with a cat on the internet. From the very beginning. Cats and the internet go paw in hand,” said Brown.

The cat’s death led some students to call on the school to establish a physical memorial — perhaps with a statue that would immortalize the cat.

“Everyone really wants a Powell Cat statue,” said Phoebe Chiu, a fourth-year student at UCLA who is the facilities commissioner of the undergrad Student Assn. Council at the college.

Chiu remembered hearing about Powell Cat from her first day on campus.

“I don’t think I’ve ever thought of UCLA without Powell Cat,” she said.

She’s seen the cat dozens of times and pet the stray a few times as well.

The building of a statue on campus — or perhaps a painting or mural — has to go through the byzantine bureaucracy of the college, starting with public comments Tuesday night from students to assess how the student body wants to memorialize the cat. An official memorial is planned for Thursday evening.

For Brown, the death has been particularly sad — but the deluge of loving messages is a comfort.

“It’s just such an outpouring of grief and of love,” Brown said.

Wildcats are the 4th most common Division I mascot

In 2013-14, Division I athletics will feature ten schools using the nickname "Wildcats," specifically: Abilene Christian, Arizona, Bethune-Cookman, Davidson, Kansas State, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Northwestern, Villanova, and Weber State.

That's not far behind the number-three most common mascot, the Tigers, which has 12 schools. For former Big East member (and Villanova's second-most frequent football foe), Boston College, they are one of 15 schools using the "Eagles" nickname in Division I — at least if you include variations like Marquette's "Golden" Eagles.

The number-one option for college mascots, however, is the Bulldog. There are fifteen schools that use just "Bulldogs" as their nickname in NCAA Division I sports. New Big East member, Butler, is among those schools. Compared to the challenge of maintaining a live Tiger mascot, it is relatively easy to slap a dog-shaped jersey onto a bulldog on game-days.

Villanova's teams were named via a 1926 contest, where the University sought to choose a mascot for the school. The name "Wildcats" was suggested by then football coaching assistant Edward Hunsinger, a former All-American defensive end at Notre Dame. A wildcat can be any of a number of species of feral felines, but Villanova's 'Cat has generally resembled a bobcat.

Between 1930 and 1950, the university kept live wildcat in a cage at the Fieldhouse and brought out to appear at both home and away football games. Those live mascots were difficult to control and they were often agressive toward their ROTC handlers and others, which ultimately lead the university to switch over to a costumed mascot.

While all four of the live mascots at Villanova were named "Count Villan," the costumed student seen at games since the 1950s is now known as "Wil D. Cat."

Other schools using the Wildcat mascot have had varying length of traditions. Kentucky traces their mascot to 1976. New Hampshire adopted their nickname in 1926. Arizona traces their first Wildcats to 1915, when a pair of live Wildcats were delivered to campus. At Kansas State, the football team adopted the Wildcats name in 1915, but didn't make that name permanent until 1920, taking a hiatus from the name for five seasons between. At Northwestern, the university used a bear cub as its mascot until a losing season banned him from campus, but writers tagged their 1924 team with the Wildcat name, and it stuck.

Villanova wasn't copying these other schools when adopting the Wildcats nickname, but it was a popular term that

It serves as a rallying point during athletic events, encouraging school pride and creating a sense of community among supporters. The wildcat mascot can be seen at various college sporting events, including football, basketball, and soccer games. It energizes the crowd, leading chants and cheers to boost morale and intimidate the opposing team.

Traditions

The official nickname for the University of Kentucky's athletics teams is "Wildcats." The nickname became synonymous with UK shortly after a 6-2 football victory over Illinois on Oct. 9, 1909, on the road.

Commandant Carbusier, then head of the military department at old State University, told a group of students in a chapel service following the game that the Kentucky football team had "fought like Wildcats."

Later the name Wildcats became more and more popular among UK followers as well as with members of the media. As a result, the nickname was adopted by the University.

Wildcats Mascot

The Wildcat mascot originated during the 1976-77 academic year at UK. Gary Tanner was the original Wildcat, dancing and entertaining thousands of UK fans at Commonwealth Stadium and Rupp Arena during athletics events.

Today, the Wildcat mascot also attends several academic functions as well and generally serves as a friendly ambassador for the University.

Blue and White

The University of Kentucky adopted blue and white as its official colors in 1892. Originally, however, UK students had decided on blue and light yellow prior to the Kentucky-Centre College football game on December 19, 1891. The shade of blue, which is close to a royal blue, was chosen when a student asked the question, "What color blue?" At the time, Richard C. Stoll (who lettered in football at UK in 1889-94) pulled off his necktie and held it up. The students then adopted that particular shade of blue. A year later, UK students officially dropped the light yellow color for white.

Kentucky Songs

On, on, U of K, we are right for the fight today,
Hold that ball and hit that line;
Ev'ry Wildcat star will shine;
We'll fight, fight, fight, for the blue and white
As we roll to that goal, Varsity,
And we'll kick, pass and run, 'til the battle is won,
And we'll bring home the victory.

The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home,
'Tis summer, the time to be gay;
The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom,
While the birds make music all the day

The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy and bright;
By'n by hard times come a-knocking at the door,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!

(CHORUS)
Weep no more my lady, Oh! Weep no more today!
We will sing one song for my old Kentucky home,
For my old Kentucky home, far away.

Hail Kentucky, Alma Mater!
Loyal sons and daughters sing;
Sound her praise with voice united;
To the breeze her colors fling.
To the blue and white be true;
Badge triumphant age on age;
Blue, the sky that o'er us bends;
White, Kentucky's stainless page.

The wildcat's presence adds an element of excitement and entertainment to the overall game-day experience. In addition to sporting events, the wildcat mascot often attends campus events, such as parades, pep rallies, and fundraisers. It serves as an ambassador for the college, representing its values and traditions. The mascot interacts with students, faculty, and prospective students, fostering a sense of connection and camaraderie. To portray a wildcat mascot, a person dons a costume resembling a wildcat, complete with a furry head, paws, and tail. The performer inside the costume mimics the wildcat's movements and demeanor, showcasing its agility and playfulness. The mascot's dance routines, acrobatics, and crowd interaction contribute to the overall entertainment value and create lasting memories for those in attendance. In conclusion, a wildcat college mascot is a powerful symbol that embodies a school's spirit and instills a sense of pride and unity among its community. It represents the competitive nature and determination of the college's sports teams and serves as a source of entertainment and inspiration during athletic events. The wildcat mascot leaves a lasting impression and fosters a strong connection between the college and its supporters..

Reviews for "Wildcat Wonders: How College Mascots Drive Fan Engagement"

1. Name: Sarah

Rating: 1/5

Review: I was really disappointed with the Wildcat college mascot. It was just so boring and unoriginal. I've seen countless schools with the same exact mascot, and I was hoping for something more unique and exciting. It felt like the school didn't put much thought or effort into it, and it really showed. Overall, I just found the Wildcat mascot to be lackluster and underwhelming.

2. Name: John

Rating: 2/5

Review: The Wildcat college mascot definitely didn't leave a lasting impression on me. It was just your typical generic mascot that didn't really stand out. I was hoping for something more creative and memorable. The design of the costume was also pretty disappointing, as it looked cheap and poorly made. Overall, I wasn't impressed with the Wildcat mascot and it didn't add any excitement or spirit to the college's events.

3. Name: Emily

Rating: 2/5

Review: The Wildcat college mascot was such a letdown. It felt like the school just chose the most obvious and unoriginal mascot they could find. There was nothing unique or special about it. The costume also looked outdated and not at all appealing. It felt like the school could have put more effort into finding a mascot that would truly represent their spirit and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the Wildcat mascot just fell flat for me.

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