Machel, just to let you know that tlc and the crew loved your fish pie and I finished off the bits that they left.

i've been a poorly cat machel.
i've had to go to the v.e.t. and have in jerk shuns.
aunty pet has kept me in and will only let me eat certain food that she puts drops of medisun on.

I've only been allowed out for the first time this morning.

Hello everyone! Spleshly my ickle poorly LC...awww. Sorry we havent been posting but we have been on a big adventure. Nermal wants to tell you all about it so I will hand you over to him.


Nermal: Hey mummy LC and everyone, we have been on jolliday and we went inna big..big ..mer..mm..box...*pants*


Tom: Calm down Nermal you are getting over excited! Breathe deeply and count to ten....


Nermal: 1 and 1, and 1, and 1, and 1, and 1, and 1, and 1, and1, and 1....


Tom: There you go now tell your tale


Nermal: Well it all started a couple of weeks ago when our yumans were going to stay in a Crate but a guy called Ash from Iceland said they couldnt go or buy frozen food. Tom was happy they couldnt go because Me, Tom, and Jasper would have had to stay in a Cattery and Tom and Japser were not happy about that at all! Also I dont know why yumans want to stay in a crate?? Anyhoo the yuman scratched their head and came up with a new plan. We all went on Jolliday! The yumans got a big box on wheels called Winny Bago...dont know why a box has a name tho... but it mean that us cats could go along with the yumans. We set off in the box which is a bit like a house inside. We all had our food bowls and litter tray but it was a bit weird to start off with. But me and Japser found the BackWindow where we could sit and watch other yumans in their Carrs. It loads of fun! Tom sat UpFront with Mr Yuman and helpd him drive cos he is a clever cat and my hero. After sometime (I got tired and had a nap) we arrived at a field...doesnt sound like fun but the yumans pitch a Tent next to the box so us cat could be outside and inside at the same time! During the day we all went for walks..there werent any towns or Carrs around so we could wander for miles. I stayed close to Tom and the yumans tho, but Jasper said he was feeling like a kitten again and ran around like a mad un'. That was until he saw a fox and had to play at BigCat and bushy up his fur to let the fox know her was a Cat to be reckoned with. After that Jasper stayed much closer. In the evening we all had food outside and watched the sun go down...as Tom said it was all Tranquiliser...but the best was yet to come! The yumans got a Carr from a guy called Hertz and we went to a Saffy Hari Park...they had to sneak us cats in. We hid under a blanket but I kept giggling and nearly GiveTheGameAway..but we got in. I didnt know what a Saffy Hari Park was but it is a big place with Animules in it! First we saw Monkeys, then Buffaloos, then Antiloops, but the best bit was the big Cats Envelope....All us cats sat bolt up right on the back window shelve of the Carr and watched....LIONS! I now want to be a LION when I grow up...they were brilliant! I have sen them on the TeeVee but I always thought they werre just as big as Tom but they are HUGE! And very Nobble *nods* I watched them very closely so I could act like them when I grow up...I have now started to fluffy up the fur around my neck so I can get a Mains and am learning to Prowl rather than prance around..I also squint my eyes to I can hunt Antiloops  (just to play with them mind)...the next Big Cats were Togers...they are HUGE too and much more like Tom. Same sort of Colour and they look clever like Tom... Japser liked the Monkeys more....But I dream of being a LION all the time now and Tom said that being a LION means not just prowling and squinting but being a Response-a-bull Cat and look after others Do you think I will grow as big as a LION? If not then I will have to ChannelTheirSpirt as Japser said...not sure what that means. So we all spent 1 week then another 1 week in the big box then came back. On the jouney back we cat leanred that the yumans are getting Married!!!! When did this get decided? Us cats werent asked (although we all approve heartily)..I hope the Marrying doesnt get in the way of the Big Weeding in the summer as there has been lots of planning involved in the Weeding and it would not be nice if they both happend on the same day. Well we are back home now and it is nice to be back...the WokMen have finished the Barn and it looks like and indoor/outdoor rooom and its where the Marrying will happen. It looks very nice. Japser is inspecting it to make sure it come up to his Eggs-actingStanderds. Tom has made sure there are no Burgers in the House and I have been Prowling aorund the Yard Squinting at anything that might need scaring off...I am practising my growl but I havent got it right yet...so there is our adventure! Hope you are feeling much better LC Mummy...I had Injeckshuns and nearly DidntMakeIt so I know how bad it can be....hugs and Squint to all the other Yumans, Cats, Baggie, Machel (I helped meself to some fishyfingers if thats OK?), and everyone! I will report back very soon now I am back....Byyyyeeeeeee! xxx

El Loro...do Parrots liek seafood then? I tohught you liked peanuts?

Apart from the usual parrot foods, parrots also like the following, which I've taken from petparrot.com:

Avocado should be avoided as the peel can be toxic for parrots. Other foods to be avoided are those with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, and chocolate. Any fruits, vegetables, fish, cooked eggs (no more than once a week), and non-fatty meats, such as chicken and turkey, can be offered. Many parrots even enjoy a chicken bone to chew on. If you have your parrot on a pelleted parrot food, his total diet should include at least 50% in other foods that can be varied every day. The other foods offered can include, nuts for the larger parrots, vegetables, nutritional greens, fruits and berries, and cooked foods.

And this parrot can't stand peanuts!! And I can have tea and coffee, provided it's decaffeinated, and I just ignore the little bit which says no chocolate!

just passing through. loads gone on in the belle household. Sorry you are not feeling too good tlc. Hope fully you will be better soon. anyone seen bagabones. Hope he is OK too. Sukey says hello and she will be back on to see you all in a week or so. There is a cat which is intruding on the bottonm of the garden and she is having to spend most of her days patrolling the borders.

Hello to all!
LC, I'm sorry to hear you've been poorly.  You're feeling better, then?

Tom and Nermal:  how exciting!  Especially the safari with the lions.  That must have been very...inspirational.

Belle:  nice to see you!

Oooh mr tom and nermal - what an exciting time you've had.
aunty pet said said there was some of that hash from iceland on her car too but i was too poorly to take any notice.
i need to sleep a lot now that i'm feeling a bit better, but i'll tell you about me and the v.e.t. when i wake up again.

good morning everyone.
i'll tell you all about my terrible time now.


i've been feeling very poorly for a long time.
i've not wanted to eat anything - not even machel's lovely fish.
aunty pet noticed i wasn't eating and she said i had gone thin.
 i didn't want to play or go outside or chase the pesky robin - i just didn't want to do anything.
the worst thing of all was a dreadful pain in my private bits - especially when i went to wee-wee.   i licked and licked and even sat outside in rain puddles but it just got worse.


anyway aunty pet got out the carrying cage thing and put me in it and took me to the v.e.t.
you know how i feel about the v.e.t. ?
you know how i struggle and yell and try to fight against being put in the cage and all that?
well this time i just felt too poorly to CARE.


i just got into the carrier quietly and lay down and shut my eyes and i never said one word all the way in the car to see the v.e.t.
you can tell how poorly i was.


the v.e.t. was very nice.
she stroked me and weighed me and felt at me and said i had you rhine in Fection.


(i can't remember ever going anywhere called Fection ! is it a nasty place like Skwolla ? )


anyway she said she'd soon get me better and stuck a needle in me.  
i even felt too ill to care about that.
aunty pet took me home and i went to sleep and the next day i did feel a lot better.
the day after that i ate all my dinner up, and today i feel great.
the nasty pain has gone and life is wonderful again.
i'm off out to chase that pesky robin.........

That's wonderful news TLC, I'm so glad that you are feeling so much better. Now go and chase that pesky robin, but hopefully you won't hurt it.

no i didn't catch him mr loro. he's always a bit too quick for me.
he's a very clever bird really - probably nearly as clever as you are.

Awwww, LC, it makes me sad to think of you being so ill you willingly went to the v.e.t.!

Glad to hear you are feeling better so quickly, though!

yes, it was quick wasn't it?
aunty pet says it's because of another aunty who i don't think i've ever met.
she made me better quickly but i didn't even get to see her.
aunty pet says she's called aunty bi ottix.

Aww LC glad you are feeling much better.
Nermal when he read it was determined to come over to stay with you for a bit. As it is dark now I promised I would bring him around in the morning if thats OK? I might stay for a bit to...just to lick your ears
Nermal want to show you his Lion prowl, squint and roar. I have never seen him so determined to do anything like he want to be a Lion...a lad needs an ambition I suppose
He is asleep now...probably dreaming of lions...bless
See you soon!

I was just wondering if any of you cats suffer from cynophobia (fear of dogs)? Not that I am.

For those who are interested, ailurophobia is the fear of cats. As far as a fear of parrots is concerned there is no official word so I have come up with psittacophobia.

 how do you say that word el loro?
it sounds just like cats spitting at one another.
don't let nermal hear it or he'll think it's a rude  swear word and go around saying it all the time.
you know what these kittens are like....

yes please come and see me soon mr. tom. i haven't had my ears licked for ages and i'm really looking forward to hearing nermal roar.

I would prounounce it as SITAKOFOBIA - the p at the beginning is silent. Although I have invented the word (a Google search comes up with no results), I based it on the technical word for a parrot which is psittacine. A better known word is psittacosis which is a horrible illness which parrots and humans can catch. I know a woman who did catch this and she was very ill for weeks. That is pronounced SITAKOSIS. Although it is rare for humans to catch it about 15 people a year in the UK are diagnosed with it.
I don't think cats can catch it though so you don't need to worry.

Les the vet said fear of cats was Galeophobia, Elurophobia, Aiurophobia and Felinophobia. Fear of chickens is Alektorophobia so I guess that is pretty close to a fear of parrots. It must be just a matter of size of the bird and degree of the phobia. If you keep on eating all those fishes fingers and chokerlut fingers you will grow into the size of a chicken then who is to know the difference El Loro? If you stop eating do you stop growing? If not very normal nermal keeps on eating why shouldn’t he grow into a lion? I like the size I am so I suppose I should stop eating but machel and other nice people keep giving me bones and treats so it is very tempting not to stop eating. My yuman is very old, she says she is 21 and she keeps eating but doesn’t seem to keep on growing. There must be a reason for it. Les the vet is even older, she’s 25, she must be the oldest yuman I know but she doesn’t eat as much as my yuman. She says she is on a lick wid diet called vino collapso which she seems to enjoy.

when my sister got into the cage willingly, she never came back.
I looked for her for ages and kept sniffing her favourite places to see if she came back, but she hasn't.

well i came back sukey.

fishday friday good morning tlc and crew i have some prawns for you tlc because i read how poorly you have been and i know these are your favourite, a juicy bone for bagabones, some extra cod for nermal (he's a growing cat) and cream from mr machel's trifle. taylor is definitely getting back to normal - he brought a little bird home yesterday

You are probably right about that name you gave for a fear of chickens. There is a general term for a fear of birds which is ornithophobia
I've eaten so many fish fingers and chocolate fingers that I already very big for a parrot, in fact I am already much larger than a chicken. But I'm told that if I cut doen on what I eat I will turn into a ghost and the thought of a ghostly parrot haunting this forum is a bit scary.

yay !
fish day and i feel hungry again !
ooh lovely prawns - my favourite.
i hope nermal turns up soon or i may have to eat his cod for him before it goes off. he he !
thank you so much, machel.

Nermal: Here I am Mummy LC! You can eat all the cod if you like. I know you need to keep you strenth up
Well Mr Tom has brought me here so I can stay with you for the weekend. I have all my stuff wrapped up in a table cloth. Japser said I look like Dick Wittingtonnes Cat...sometimes I just dont understand what hes on about

Would you like me to show you my prowl and squint? I am not sure my growl is quite ready yet


Oh what this...it looks like a rude word....
psittacophobia! psittacophobia! psittacophobia!

Tee hee

Although I have invented this word, it is accurate. Words for various types of phobia should if possible be based on Ancient Greek, with the Ancient Grrek for dread being φοβία which sounds like fobia. The Ancient Greek for parrot is ψιττακός which sounds like fittakos. The Romans adapted this word to psittacinus. As is normal with phobia words, the last few letters of the main word are dropped and replaced with an o. Hence we get psittacophobia. The first p is silent as in psychiatry, so the word should be pronounced sitakofobia.

End of lesson in Ancient Greek

Phew - i'm almost too busy to post at the moment as i have nermal staying with me - as you can see.


*no - nermal, it really isn't a good idea to climb in a washing machine....! *


nermal is lovely of course but he never seems to stop for a moment.
everything has to he sniffed at, tasted or explored. i had forgotten kitties were so tiring.
the worst thing has been trying to get aunty pet to accept him.
at first i thought i'd keep nermal quiet and hidden and she wouldn't know he was there - but no chance!
nermal's idea of hiding is to duck his head behind a box or a magazine rack or piece of curtain.
he thinks that as long as he can't see the person he is hiding from then they can't see him either.
he doesn't realise they can see the rest of his fat body and swishing tail.
and then there's these lion growls that he's always practising.
i'm really sorry mr tom ever took him to that saff hari park.


*come down off the table nermal!* 


Anyway aunty pet soon found out nermal was in the house and she didn't know where he'd come from. she tried to shoo him out at first but i stuck really close to him and kept licking him and grooming him (he needs it anyway!) so she soon realised that i wanted him to stay. but she still thinks he's lost and keeps asking people if they know who he belongs to.
i'm a bit worried she might send him away.


she says he can stay with me until she finds out who he belongs to and then he'll have to go!
At the moment he's allowed to stay here and he sleeps in my basket with me at night.
not that he does a lot of sleeping.
he's forever out of bed chasing imaginary mice with his new "prowl and squint" or practising his growl again or going to get something to eat.
i'm worn out. i haven't had a decent night's sleep since he came here.


I'm not sure how long he's supposed to be staying here but I think mr tom had better come and collect him soon before aunty pet gives him to a cat rescue centre or i get ill with stress and sleep deprivation! 
I do love having nermal - but i need a bit of a rest.


*NERMAL!!!! Stop it! NO!  

Oh, poor LC!  Isn't nermal interested in any toys?  Perhaps he needs a distraction so you can get some rest.

Oh no! I forgot all about him! Soory LC but we have all been busy helping with the Nuptuals!
I know you need some rest LC so I'll come straight over and collect him....has he been norty? I know he can be a bit.....restless sometimes but at home he's got me, Jasper, and the yumans to tire him out. Hope Aunty Pet isn't to angry


Come on Nermal home time....

Bye Nermal...





Be good...


Whew !!!

Fishday friday and its prawns again, its just the right weather for a salad, cream from mr machel's trifle and a bone for bagabones. I've bought a feather for nermal to chase (he can pretend it's a mouse) you must be very tired lc, looking after young ones can be exhausting

thank you machel.
i feel a lot better since i've had a good long UNINTERRUPTED sleep !


it was nermal's favourite game called "lets see how many circuits of the room i can do without once letting a paw touch the floor" at about 4 in the morning which really got me down.


i think the birds' dawn chorus got him going.

good afternoon tlc and crew, just popped in to see if everyone is enjoying the sunshine, taylor is - he spends most of his time lazing outside.

Fishday friday good morning tlc and crew (if there is anyone there) tuna pasta bake for tea so i'll pop the tuna, some cod for nermal (he's a growing lion!) and the cream in the fridge. Its becoming very lonely in here - i hope everyone is ok

Yummy, tuna - can I have any left overs?

i don't think there'll be any left overs el loro.
Thank you for the fish machel.




it's ban colly day wee kend apparently.
i don't know what that means but  leroy has got a lot of time off school.
he's coming to stay with me and aunty pet and the big man for a while because honey has gone into oss pickle to get the human kitten she's going to have.


when she comes out of the osspickle they're all going to move into this cottage that honey's grandma left her.
leroy's dad and the big man have been getting the cottage ready for months.
leroy has helped a bit too when he wasn't at school.
leroy says it's a nice cottage with a big garden and fields all round. he says it's a lot lot nicer than the flat he lives in now with his dad.
he says there's a farm with big barns and things close by.


i wonder if it's the farm that mr tom lives at.


leroy keeps talking about me leaving aunty pet and going to live with him and honey and his dad and the new yuman kitten in the cottage.
i'm not sure i want to.
i mean i love leroy - he was the one who rescued me from skwolla - but i love aunty pet too and i'm used to this place.


i shall have to give it a lot of thought.

I know you're used to Aunty Pet's place, but this would be a lovely big adventure, LC!

If you move Little Cat, will there be a kumputer to write to us all? If not, how will we keep in sniffing and ear licking distance? This could be a more serious subject than just Leroy moving home. Also, could you cope with a baby yuman? It will be pulling your ears within weeks. Unless of course they take it down to the rez cue place and leave it there.

good afternoon tlc and crew moving is a very serious subject and a lot of thought is needed, Taylor wasn't very happy when we moved, although he is much more settled now. he must miss his friends and haunts.

i know it needs a lot of thought machel but does any yuman really take much notice of what a cat thinks?


i have a nasty feeling that i'm not going to have a lot of say in the matter.
i think i'm going to be taken to this cottage whether i like it or not.
it's no use running away because then i'd be worse off than ever and have nowhere to live and nobody to look after me.


i think i'm going to have to go and if i don't like it i'll run away and come back here to aunty pet's ( as long as it's no too far away) or else act really miserable and miaow a lot and not eat anything until they bring me back.