hi all,
 
i lost my first ferret this past saturday.  her name is chicky.  not very
many people know much about her, so i wanted to tell you all about this
wonderful girl.
 
chicky came into my life when i went to our local shelter to get a kit.
i picked out my new little girl, abbey, and the shelter mom asked me if i
wanted to foster a sick ferret.  long story short - i came home with not
one, but two little girls.
 
chicky was half-bald and had a tumor on her tail.  she was real spunky and
bright eyed.  although she did sleep more than my personal ferrets, when
she was awake, she ran everywhere.  she never walked, she up and ran!!
 
when i first got her i told my husband that we probably would not have her
very long.  she was, after all, a sick little girl.  as time went on, she
spent more time out of her cage and even started eating on her own!!  she
didnt like being held and she didnt like other ferrets.  every once in a
while i would catch her doing "ferret things." sniffing in shoes and bags.
but, this little girl never danced, she never dooked, she never played.
she just ran.
 
i loved her with all my heart.  sure she was not technically mine, she
still belonged to the shelter.  but she was part of our family.  in fact
she hung in there for almost one year.
 
this past week she started going down hill.  she started losing weight.
she wanted to be held.  she would come over to the couch and stand by my
foot and touch me with her nose.  i would bend down and pick her up and
she would lay down on my lap and fall right asleep.  friday she stopped
eating.  friday night she could not use her front and back legs.  a late
night call was put in to the shelter.  a decsion was made.
 
my husband and i helped chicky over the bridge saturday around noon.  the
last time i saw her was there in the vets office, her little bald head
sticking out of her favorite sleep sack.  looking for a comforting hand.
(which she quickly got.)
 
i loved you chicky, i did all i could to let you know that someone in this
world loved you.  i do feel a sort of relief, though.  i know that now she
will be able to dance, dook, play......whatever she wants to do.  now she
can have a full coat and no tumor on her tail.
 
i went home and hugged all four of my fuzzes for what they thought was way
too long.  i plan on doing that everyday from now on....
 
Laura
Jake, Bailey, Abbey, Elliot
missing Chicky
[Posted in FML issue 3488]