Meowtal with Andy Dowling of LORD

To be perfectly honest, when our little Kitten, Randall Pink Floyd died in April...I couldn't do this column anymore. It was largely written in his honor.

But now, we are a few months on and our tears for Floyd have dried. He's gone but never forgotten. We also adopted a new little kitten named Jiji.

So, in that vein, it seemed right to revive this column and find out again what those metal guys with their cats were doing.

I think we're going to find that Andy Dowling's cat is a bit on the ugly side, but we won't cat shame.

Presently, Andy holds down the bass notes with Australian Power Metal institution, LORD, and he's podcasting like nobody's business.

He was also kind enough to join me on my weekly Instagram Live.

Check out what's he kicking over on his WEBSITE.

1. In my house, we have three cats named Wickett, Louis IX, and Jiji. How many do you have and what are they called?

I have a pet Cockatiel named Larry Birb.

2. It's obvious where our cats got their names. Where did yours get theirs?

I'm a big NBA fan so I could not pass up the opportunity to take advantage of naming him after one of the Celtic greats!

3. We're three people with one cat each. My cat, Floyd, rides my shoulder like a parrot. What's an odd behavior your cat has?

Well, our Larry tends to rub himself on a bathrobe sash while silently chirping. We asked our avian vet what he was doing and she told us it's "masturbatory" behaviour. 

Larry is truly a dirty bird!

4. When I leave, I always pick a cat to be in charge of the other kitties. What's the wacky thing you do with yours?

My wife Jess turns on the iPad with an 8 hour Cockatiel video on YouTube when she goes to work. You know, to keep him company and all! 

(NOTE: My daughter has put bird videos on her MacBook so her cat has something to watch.)

Jess also wants to get a babycam set up so she can check in on him during the day. I'm trying to prevent this from happening as much as I can haha.

5. We have a half-Himalayan, a Polydactyl, and a Kitten Would Be God. What sorts do you have?

Ours is a white faced cockatiel. All grey and white. No rosey cheeks like you see with other cockatiels.

6. Over the years, my cats have taught me absolutely nothing. What's the one thing you think they should be imparting to us humans?

Well with my bird in particular, he has an amazing ability to shut up when his cage is covered for bedtime. It's almost instant. 

I live in the heart of Sydney and I often wish that at 3am in the morning, some of my fellow humans could learn how to keep it down when it goes dark! 

I'm such a grumpy old man haha.