Well, it looks like my babysitting saga has finally drawn to a close.  The
woman I was babysitting her ferrets for has found a new place to live that
accepts ferrets.
 
She came with four and left with two.
 
Her first surrender came because she could not afford medical care.  He was
losing hair left and right... obviously adrenal.  She considered having him
euthanized but thankfully I was able to talk her into surrendering him to
our ferret society.  It has been about three weeks since his surgery in
which his left adrenal was removed.  He is back to being spunky and happy.
His fur started to grow back almost immediately.  His presence is the gift
that the society gave to him via surgery.  He got his second chance.
 
Her second surrender is possibly adrenal as well, plus suffering from some
hip problems.  This 6 year old little girl was this woman's favourite, and
told me nothing would separate her from her "baby".  She didn't even shed a
tear as she signed her over to the ferret society.  The reason?  At first I
was told that it was because the apartment's landlord would take 2 but not
3 ferrets.  Then I heard that she wanted the first surrender to have his
friend to be adopted with.  Then I heard that this little girl's future
care, considering the shape she was now in, was more than the woman
bargained for.
 
She has two ferrets left, and I think about their future.  Not that I
think that she will abuse them necessarily, but that they will go back to
spending the majority of their lives in their cage, and that they may not
have the best food to eat, and that they may not have clean bedding to
sleep in, or many interesting things to occupy their time.  I have spent
the last 9 weeks talking about (and showing her) the benefits of following
up with good ferret care and more... but once she is out the door, she has
the right as the owner, to treat her ferrets the way she sees fit.  And
under the rules of animal cruelty or abuse, she would not be considered to
be doing anything wrong.  The ferrets would be fed, and have a roof over
their heads, and a place to sleep.
 
I worry for the littlest one who took to biting this woman every time she
was here.  I worry that unconditional love will not come into play and that
her biting will get worse.  And that the surrender list will grow by one in
the future.  Then this woman will need to look for a replacement because
the last one left will need a friend...
 
In the last few minutes of the last day I spoke to the woman about not
smoking directly in the ferret's faces.  Or if at all possible, to smoke
outside of the room they would be in as animals can be affected by second
hand smoke as well.  She said she would keep that in mind as she was
planning on quitting anyway.  As we finished packing up the car, I saw her
put her two ferrets into the front seat on her lap, roll a cigarette and
then light it.  She blew the smoke directly in their faces.  That's when
little sneezes started coming from the carrier.  And that's when my heart
broke.  These little guys have been smoke free for nine weeks.  They, along
with their bedding and cages, stunk to high heaven with cigarette smoke
when they first came to me.  Even their fur was yellow...
 
This will be my last memory of them...
 
I have her number and her new address.  She offered them to me as she wants
to keep in touch.  I will do so if only for the ferrets' sake.  I pray in
the meantime that at least some of what we have discussed will sink in.
I gave her two budgeting books and a book on ferret care.  I do hope she
reads them, but more importantly, that she understands what she reads and
then implements the ideas.
 
I hope...
 
Betty and Her Blur O'Fur
For the love of ferrets....
[Posted in FML issue 3104]