This post was updated Oct. 3 at 12:26 a.m.
Powell Cat – a beloved stray known for roaming UCLA’s campus – will live the remainder of their nine lives as a bronze cast statue in Kerckhoff Hall.
The statue – organized and sculpted by UCLA alumnus Max Loy, artist Tim Doyle and an anonymous artist – had been in progress for over two years before its Aug. 26 installation. Powell Cat, long called UCLA’s “unofficial mascot,” lived near Powell Library and Kaufman Hall for about eight years until they died in March 2023.
[Related: The fight to remember Powell Cat]
Over 3,500 people petitioned for UCLA to install a statue commemorating Powell Cat following their death, Loy said. After several months, Loy asked the UCLA Facilities Management office if anyone was working on the project, he added.
When the office’s answer was no, Loy said he decided to make the idea a reality.
“If you were to mention to someone, ‘Hey, I’m going to make a statue for UCLA and build it inside UCLA,’ it’s kind of an impossible dream,” he said. “Having a statue in public property, in historical sites, in UCLA – it’s unimaginable.”
[Related: ‘Love, personality, home’: Bruin community remembers Powell Cat’s life and legacy]
The statue was originally intended to be housed in Powell Library, but the plan fell through when UCLA’s library director changed in March 2024, Loy said. Josh Garland, who was then the Undergraduate Students Association Council internal vice president, worked with ASUCLA to help Loy secure a new location, he added.
Most of the funding for the bronze cast statue came from selling sweatshirts Loy designed and created, he said.
“It is symbolic of resilience,” said Ciska Prough, a UCLA alumnus. “Max would do so much to try to get the statue up, and he dealt with a lot of conflict, and it was just so hard. On a personal level, it’s, ‘Wow. Look at what my friend did. This is amazing, and he’s so resilient.’”
Loy said he was grateful for the people who worked on the statue with him – from the facilities manager to his friends at the UCLA Makerspace. He added that he led the initiative “for everyone” and hopes the statue brings attention to the other stray cats living at UCLA.
“This is more than just a project for myself or people that are fans of Powell Cat,” Loy said. “There’s always these people. They’re volunteers – unconditional love, just saving wildlife around campus.”
Loy said he ensured cat rescue groups on campus were made official organizations under UCLA when raising funds for the Powell Cat statue. Hill Cats at UCLA – a group of students who care for cats living on campus – initially received pushback from UCLA Housing for feeding the stray cats, said Prough, the group’s former leader.
“Having a statue of Powell Cat is also helpful for all of his wildlife friends,” Loy said. “This statue is the statue that is going to motivate the next generation.”
[Related: Hill policy on feeding stray cats sparks worry, concerns among residents]
Prough said she appreciated the comfort Powell Cat brought to students – and that their love for the cat “made (them) immortal.” Powell Cat’s popularity increased the number of people who fed and took care of other cats on UCLA’s campus, she added.
Chamé Koomthong – a UCLA alumnus and the social media designer for Loy’s merchandise business – said she attended Powell Cat’s memorial after their death. She added that Powell Cat united everyone, regardless of their major or background.
“The whole project is to keep Powell Cat’s legacy,” Koomthong said. “For me, Powell Cat represents comfort, reminding students to take one thing at a time. You don’t need to take everything all at once – basically to chill out.”
Prough said she hopes students create a tradition of petting the Powell Cat statue, similar to the long-running tradition of touching the Bruin Bear statue’s paw for good luck before exams.
Loy – who said he was struck by Powell Cat’s friendliness the first time the cat jumped onto his lap and often saw them while walking back from the student architecture studio at around 4 a.m. – added that he also believes the statue should serve as a call to action.
“This statue is going to remind everyone that there’s more Powell Cats around the world, and if we don’t put an effort to save them, who else is going to?” he said. “That’s why I’m glad this statue was finally made.”
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