Whether an arts student or simply a frequent visitor of the University Center for the Arts, one is likely to see a brown and white snowshoe cat, perhaps surrounded by people fawning over him. His name is Cuddles, and he is the unofficial mascot of Colorado State University’s UCA.
His owners, Makenna Majors and Forrest Wold-McGimsey, have lived in Fort Collins for years, and Cuddles has been roaming and exploring ever since Wold-McGimsey brought him from Oregon. Cuddles belonged to a neighbor but would wander to Wold-McGimsey’s house. They started bonding, and Cuddles never left. Wold-McGimsey then unofficially adopted Cuddles.
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Since living on Remington Street, Cuddles has visited the UCA basically every day unless there’s been a snowstorm. He especially enjoys hanging out in the gardens when it’s hot out and wandering around inside the building. Though many may worry over him wandering freely, he is never truly lost because he has a GPS collar that his owners use to make sure he’s safe.
“We just really love that people care about him so much.” –Forrest Wold-McGimsey, Cuddles’ owner
Cuddles has become somewhat of a local celebrity with an impressive Instagram following of almost 2,000. Students gather around to pet him in the lobby, and he wanders into rehearsals and classes, too.
Sophomore music student Ethan Barker shared some insight into what it’s like to have Cuddles around.
“I see Cuddles almost every day, and every time we see him in the UCA, it brightens up our day,” Barker said. “He definitely gives us a break from the rigor of music school, and he’s one of the best things in the UCA.”
While the Instagram page is home to a plethora of adorable photos of Cuddles, it also has served a greater purpose: saving Cuddles’ life.
In 2021, a car hit Cuddles, and someone nearby knew of the account.
“They messaged us on Instagram to let us know he was hit by a car,” Majors said. “And so that way, I could rush home from work and get him to an emergency vet. He got lucky — it only hit his tail and his back two legs, so he was able to recover.”
It was those who knew and cared about Cuddles who were able to get him help quickly and pay his vet bill unprompted.
“We had, like, probably like 25 messages asking for a GoFundMe,” Majors said. “We didn’t expect to get anything, but his vet bill was paid within the first day.”
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While Cuddles primarily hangs around the UCA, he’s made an impact on his surrounding community, too. He has a dog best friend in the neighborhood, and when Majors and Wold-McGimsey bring him home every night, they are often stopped by people who want to see Cuddles.
“Just last night, we got stopped multiple times,” Wold-McGimsey said. “We were like, ‘Is this what it’s like to be a celebrity?’ But he’s the celebrity — no one knows who we are.”
Despite all the love and attention Cuddles gets, there are many people who don’t know much about him. Some think he’s owned by the school or doesn’t have owners. That could not be further from the truth, as his owners are very diligent in bringing him home every day and making sure he’s safe.
Valerie Reed is the assistant events manager at the UCA and has seen Cuddles day after day for the past few years and witnessed how he has helped students.
“He just seems to be able to recognize when somebody’s having a hard time, and he goes over, and he just sits with them,” Reed said. “He just draws people together.”
UCA staff do their best to protect visitors and students who have allergies. Reed said that many people with allergies will still spend time with Cuddles and make sure they wash their hands after.
A more recent Cuddles development is the release of stickers. They are for sale online and at both Mugs coffee shop locations.
“It’s kind of a badge of honor,” Reed said about the stickers.
There is no sign of Cuddles leaving any time soon, so he will continue to bring joy to the UCA and the greater CSU community.
“We just really love that people care about him so much,” Wold-McGimsey said.
Reach Aubree Miller at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
