The ashes, in an engraved metal urn, rest on a bed in a home in the East Oakmont neighborhood in Plum.

They are a constant reminder to 84-year-old Frank Furko of his late, loyal companion Pudgie-Wudgie.

Pudgie-Wudgie was a trained house cat, bedecked in countless custom-made costumes. He made numerous television appearances and performed in live shows in the late 1980s and 1990s.

The 23-pound cat and Furko traveled with across the country wowing audiences and bringing smiles to the faces of anyone who met the dynamic duo.

Pudgie-Wudgie was 14 years old when he crossed the rainbow bridge in 2001, but his memory lives on in the documentary "Frank & The Wondercat." It's an amusing tale that follows the Pittsburgh native as he reminisces about his beloved cat. The film was created in 2015 by Pablo Alvarez-Mesa and Tony Massil.

In the film, Furko offers a lifetime of eccentric anecdotes. The film premiererd at Vancouver International Film Festival in 2015. A review by freeelance writer Josh Hamm based in Vancouver BC on popoptiq.com reads "Massil and Alvarez-Mesa have found a perfect subject in Frank and approach him with a natural, easy going camera: no talking heads and barely a shot of stock footage, just a wondering frame following Frank as he tells his stories to whoever will listen, and a sense of time travel via VHS footage Frank himself shot throughout his life."

"Frank & the Wondercat" will be shown 7:30 p.m. May 18 in The Oaks Theater in Oakmont. Beforehand, there will be adoptable cats and kittens on site. Furko will be available at a meet-and-greet session after the screening.

This will be the second time the flick has been on the big screen in Oakmont. Furko also attended last year's viewing and continues to be amazed by the people who still follow the story years after Pudgie-Wudgie's been gone.

Fans tell Furko when they watch the movie the unique bond between cat and owner is moving – it's like nothing they've seen before.

How it all started

Furko attributes the connection to his saving Pudgie-Wudgie – a 7-week-old kitten he loved at first sight at Animal Rescue on Hamilton Avenue in Pittsburgh's East End in 1986. He most likely would have been euthanized had Furko not adopted him – the first cat he had ever owned.

"The pain of losing Pudgie-Wudgie is still hard today," says Furko, clutching the urn, from which he has shared some of the ashes with close friends. One of those individuals is Rayna O'Neal Donatelli of Plum.

"You wouldn't think that ashes of a cat that I didn't have the privilege of meeting would mean as much to me as it does. Knowing how important Pudgie was to Frank and the fact that he felt I was deserving of his ashes really means a lot to me. I keep him in a safe place and will forever be honored to have them," she says.

She will be in attendance at the theater.

"The first show was sold out and not everyone who wanted to see it got to see it so that is why they are showing it again," says Furko, as he sits in his home surrounded by memorabilia of Pudgie-Wudgie, pictures of him displayed wearing many of his 200 outfits – including Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns looks, as well as a nurse, doctor and wedding dress costumes. Pudgie also had numerous hats and sunglasses. He has several museum-like displays throughout his home in memory of his companion. This legend of Pudgie-Wudgie began on the cat's first birthday when Furko placed a hat on the cat and he didn't try to remove it.

Pudgie-Wudgie did tricks. His act went viral and was featured on the Maury Povich and David Letterman shows, as well as on the cover of magazines and newspapers. He entertained children in schools, senior citizens in nursing homes and patients in hospitals. There is a photo of him in a Steelers outfit from an exhibit at the Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District. There is a picture of the cat sitting on one of the boats at the former Kennywood Log Jammer amusement ride.

"He did whatever I asked him to do, to please me," says Furko, who continues to preserve the cat's bedroom. Yes, Pudgie had his own room to sleep in with everything a human has from a bed to dresser and a mirror. "I saved him, and he knew that. He would ride in a car and even a helicopter. As long as I was with him, he was good."

Drivers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike can see a mural entitled Frank and the Wondercat at mile marker 49 westbound and those who drive past Furko's house know which one it is by the World Famous Cat Crossing sign outside.

"When I die, he goes with me," Furko says. "I will be holding the box of ashes in my hand."

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-853-5062 or jharrop@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Jharrop_Trib.

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