Feline Signal-Killer?!

I am giggling at myself here…

I was merrily reading blogs and trying to think of a post about my weekend that didn’t sound incredibly boring and overly detailed when my signal disappeared…

Now, I’ve had a luvverly time with my Vodacom supplied signal when I’m at home (and I mustn’t forget to update you all on that front) so I figured this was a rerun of my signal drama. I logged off, deleted temp files, started everything up again… still no joy.

But I forgot the cardinal rule of IT hassles- checking cables and such.

I discovered that Greebo had taken up his now customary position behind my laptop, where its warm, and in getting himself comfortable had knocked my 3G aerial off my screen where its normally hooked up and was lying on it!

No signal due to a furry barrier!!



As for Vodacom… I’ve had repeated hassles since November last year with my signal. I can MAYBE get two bars of signal at home, if I’m lucky, and in November and then again in late January, my connection was so unbelievably intermittent that I couldn’t even load a blog let alone post anything or leave comments and download emails! I phoned and phoned and phoned. I was told that it was everything from the rain to the hassles with Eskom and eventually they told me they had done something to the signal tower and I shouldn’t have any more hassles. Over December and most of January I had no more problems. I still only had a norm of 2 bars- but it stayed connected thank goodness.

So in January, the phone calls started again! I was getting no joy despite their promises and their calling me back and asking me if it had improved. I eventually went to HelloPeter and left a detailed account of my Vodadrama. They called me back within a couple of days, as the website promises, and called me a few times after that. I stopped having such dreadful intermittent signal- but I still only get maybe two bars. These people knew which towers I use and where I lived and suddenly they were telling me they had to send someone to my flat to test the signal in my flat! That got me fed up- I don’t want them in my house!!!

Anyhoodle, last week, I got a phone call that I was pretty chuffed about.

Vodacom told me they are erecting a new tower near me!!!

How cool is that?!

Taxi Is Sick...

Taxi was diagnosed today with FeLV. The Feline Leukemia Virus.
Its a simple enough test, but they sedated him slightly to draw blood so he spent last night at the vet's.



Its very serious and very dangerous...
In all likelihood, he got it at birth from his mother and has been a carrier. He has only now started showing symptoms though, and it looks like we have caught it really early.
It makes a huge difference in Taxi's favour that I know him so well and that I so quickly picked up there was something amiss...
Taxi was listless and not really eating a couple of weeks ago, and he felt a bit warm, so I took him to the vet. Everything looked and sounded fine, his gums were nice and pink and his eyes were bright and not at all weepy or anything. His heart and organs felt and sounded like they're supposed to so she was a little puzzled. She gave him a general antibiotic to cover anything that might be starting up and said I should keep an eye on him.
And then he was fine again.
Then on Monday, he was listless again. He spent the whole day in my bedroom and then when I went to bed he didn't come to sleep with me like he always does. Then at about 1am I went looking for him. I was not sleeping anyway. I spent a good hour searching my flat for him, eventually convinced he'd gotten out somehow, but the next day he was back, asleep on my bed!
He just hadn't wanted to be found!
Yesterday I dropped him at the vet, again he had a fever that was putting him off his food but otherwise he was fine. She suggested testing for FIV and FeLV so I said to go ahead.
Greebo is now being tested for the virus as they can pass it through grooming and sharing water bowls mainly. And fighting, but since neither Greebo or Taxi go outside they're "safe" in that respect.
If Greebo is negative though... I have to try and keep them apart and I don't know how I'll do that.
Wish us luck.
He could live for years with minor changes and the occasional fever putting him off his food, or he could suddenly get sick and I'll lose him in a couple of months!

Taxi!!!

Right, so.


It’s now a little after 7am Sowff Effrikuh time and I have had just under two hours sleep.

My last post was at about 1am this morning.

I have my annual performance appraisal this afternoon at 4pm.

I wonder if I can take the morning off to sleep… then again, if I go home I won’t sleep because my precious Taxi cat has vanished!

He wasn’t himself again yesterday, some may remember I took him to the vet a couple of weeks ago ‘coz he was off colour… well, yesterday the same thing. So I made up my mind to take him to the vet today after work.

So, whilst playing on the interweb at about 1am, I hear Taxi jump off the couch and head for the toilet where their litterbox is.

Now usually he sleeps on my chest, or on my back, or on my ribs- basically somewhere on my upper body- when I go to bed. Its unusual when he doesn’t… so when I heard him use the litterbox I thought I’d give him some time and go fetch him to sleep with me.

So I go looking for him and I can’t find him.

I looked for him, in my flat, for an hour!

My cats don’t go outside- I’m on the second floor so there’s no way in or out for them… Taxi and Greebo both have gotten out a few times, but they’re always more than happy to get home and they’re never gone very long… But I can’t find Taxi. I don’t know why he would have gone “out” and for the life of me I cannot work out how since I keep my windows open jut wide enough for a nose and some fresh air… And my flat is in an old building so its nice and big, but searching for an hour!!?!? So then I went outside. Searching for a big black cat, in the dark, at 2h30.

I couldn’t find him bunnies.

I went again this morning quickly, but I had to get Damien to his lift for school and I had to get to work… and my cat is missing.

He’s tagged and microchipped and he has a collar on, but thats little consolation to me now.

My cat is missing, I’ve had about 2 hours sleep and I have my performance appraisal this afternoon.

Oh God please let me find my cat… or let someone find him for me.

and sum morr funneh katz

Feline giggles...