Let's get the serious stuff out of the way first, then the funny stuff.  To
the woman who is expecting a baby and whose husband wants to get rid of the
ferrets because they are becoming "too much trouble to take care of," I
don't know how much this will help, but let me tell you, right now I live
with my mother (after my divorce, long story!) and she is constantly coming
up with new reasons why I need to get rid of my 3 ferrets.  When I first
arrived home, it was a crusade to get rid of my cats, then that got tiring
so she moved on to the crusade to get rid of my ferrets.  Now that I am
moving out, she just resorts to negative comments about how I neglect my
daughter because of my pet-addiction.  Some people are just like that,
and it takes a lot of will power to resist them!  I have noticed that my
ferrets seem to pick a different spot each week to be their forbidden poop
spot *sigh* Once I find it, correct the problem (through vigorous cleaning
or putting down newspaper) they'll find a new spot.  Such is the ferret
way, I suppose.  However, I also spent two rotten years of my marriage
arguing with my husband over my cat, who he absolutely hated.  It was a
horrible experience, and if I could do it all over again, I would have
dumped my husband much sooner! :-)  He couldn't accept what my animals
meant to me.  I don't have any specific recommendations to you on what to
do, but you need to do what makes your conscience feel okay--don't ever
compromise your values for anyone, it catches up with you in the end.
 
Now on to the funny ferret oddities (I love hearing these stories!) I have
9 cheweasels around here somewhere--Molly claimed 3 for herself, Merlin got
the other 6, and Casper had no interest in them whatsoever.  Molly stashed
hers in my mom's closet, Merlin put his with his other treasures under my
daughter's bureau.  Well, I decided to give them a little workout, so I
collected them all and threw them back in the ferret room.  Later on I
watched Molly pitter-pat, pitter-pat back and forth from that room to my
mom's closet as she took 3 and only 3 cheweasels back to her hiding spot.
BUT, she saw me watching....and went back later to move them.  I still have
no idea where they are!
 
Merlin (my fat one) also has a cute eating habit: He will grab a mouthful
of food and run all the way downstairs, jump on the couch, and eat his
food, then run back upstairs for another mouthful, and back downstairs to
eat it.....but hey, at least he's getting his exercise!
 
My 3 also make a mad dash for the tub the minute they are let out of their
room, and furiously lick water from the tub, like they don't have 2 bowls
to spill in their room!
 
And to Randy, welcome back, take it easy, and you're right--the tails do
smell like grape jelly!  How weird!  (have you looked into L-carnitine?
It's supposed to really help repair heart damage)
 
debbi
[Posted in FML issue 3081]