Thanks to an upcoming construction project on campus, Max has since become an indoor cat, only allowed out on a leash and harness. And he’s not so happy about it.

“He cries a lot,” said Lipton, whose husband is a Macalester professor.

With Max’s newfound fame, Schommer and Genc Celik plan to write their own children’s book about the tabby. Updates about the book will be posted at letmaxin.com.

“People know Max around campus, and now they know him even better,” said Schommer, who spoke to the Star Tribune Friday while meeting with Lipton and Max for tea.

Indeed, Max has been a campus-wide topic of conversation for a while. His interest in academia knows no bounds. He’s been spotted everywhere from dorms to science buildings, trying to get a little pet and a way inside, said Mitch Carlson, a Macalester junior in international studies. “He does prey on people’s sympathies just to get inside,” Carlson said.