Big Bronze Wildcat

Lexington, Kentucky

Named "Bowman" after James Bowman, founder of the University of Kentucky, the university's wildcat sculpture was unveiled in 2012 (The wildcat is the university's mascot). Standing seven feet tall and nine feet long, the big bronze feline was sculpted by Matthew Palmer, who had previously created bronze statues of the University of New Hampshire wildcat and the Texas State bobcat. Unlike those statues, Bowman is not a snarling beast; although four times life size, he seems pleasantly domesticated and kitty-catlike, an effort by the artist to encourage human-statue interaction.

Early statue-burnishing photos suggest that visitors have been rubbing the big cat's nose and paws for luck.