Nermal is a small grey tabby cat whom Garfield is jealous of. Despite being an adult cat, he proclaims himself as "the world's cutest kitten". Nermal was first introduced as Jon's parents' kitten, but this idea was quickly dropped.[4] He frequently made unannounced visits into Garfield's home, where he flaunted his cuteness and became the focus of Jon's attention for the entire duration of his visit, much to Garfield's exasperation. Nermal especially did this on Garfield's birthdays to remind him of his advancing age. In frustration, Garfield frequently expressed his desire to send Nermal to Abu Dhabi. He also frequently hurled Nermal through the door, leaving a hole in the shape of his body (sometimes repeatedly). This was never shown in either show, most likely because it was considered inappropriate for a children's show, but in one episode of The Garfield Show, he threw Nermal out the dog door and over a fence into a trash can in another. Although Garfield once ceased attacking Nermal after having a nightmare where a hulking cat introduces himself as a full-grown Nermal and proceeds to brutalize Garfield, this has not actually happened. Nermal once mentioned that he is going to stay cute and small forever because he is a midget;[5] "I think small," he once quipped, "and the coffee and cigarettes don't hurt." On another occasion, whilst pondering how Nermal manages to stay so cute looking, Garfield inadvertently catches Nermal wearing hair rollers and applying a mud facial mask - which evidently confirms Garfield's long-held suspicions about his cute rival."[6] His first television appearance was on the Garfield and Friends episode "School Daze", and his last was on "The Feline Philosopher"; on the show, he became a recurring cast member. Desirée Goyette regularly provided Nermal's voice on the series, which confused viewers to think that he was a female due to the feminine voice. A running gag on the show featured Garfield mailing (or trying to mail) Nermal to Abu Dhabi, which once resulted in himself getting mailed instead. Garfield even had his own song called "Abu Dhabi", which he uses to tell Nermal all about the United Arab Emirates and how he will love it there (or rather, how Garfield will love having Nermal on the other side of the world). When Garfield is spared a trip to Abu Dhabi himself (a stuffed cat was sent to the UAE instead), Jon demands Garfield stop threatening to send Nermal to Abu Dhabi. Garfield promises this, and then makes attempts to mail Nermal to the North Pole instead. In Garfield: The Movie, Nermal is portrayed by an adult Siamese cat in the neighborhood, and is voiced by David Eigenberg. Unlike his portrayals in previous media, Nermal is Garfield's friend and Nermal makes no attempt whatsoever to brag about being cute and Garfield is only mildly annoyed with him. Nermal is voiced by Jason Marsden in The Garfield Show, and the films Garfield Gets Real, Garfield's Fun Fest, and Garfield's Pet Force.
