It's good to see my Vancouver friends on the FML!! Their story of a
missing ferret scare reminded me of when Max became adventure ferret!
        Last March I took him over to a friend's apartment. A small group of
us were watching movies. I closed doors and did light ferret proofing. At
about 9 or 9:30 in the evening, I noticed it was awful quiet for a three
month old ferret to be out and about in a new place. I started the search of
the small one bedroom apartment thinking.. hoping he'd fallen asleep under
the bed or the couch. I feel bad now for my friend, because the four of us
tore UP that apartment looking for the beastling.
        I looked behind a freezer in the kitchen and noticed a dryer vent
that led to the outside! I ran outside and looked at the vent. Sure enough,
the little guy could EASILY have poked through. The four of us began the
search outside. My friend lives on the second story and I knew Max wasn't
very adept at stairs. We searched until 5 in the morning, calling and
listening. Wouldn't you know Texas is NEVER very cold but the next few days
were the worst days that winter, with freezing rain and sleet. At 6 in the
morning, my boyfriend and I made signs that we posted all over the apartment
complex. I skipped work, as did he and we continued again on the search.
There was just no way that baby could survive out in the cold, I was sure of
it.
        Two days later, I got a call at my boyfriend's saying Max had been
found! He had gone to the other side of the apartment complex and climbed a
flight of stairs to scare a woman and she opened her door to leave for work.
She said Max just walked in like he owned the place. We went and picked him
up as soon as we heard. He was hungry, thirsty and VERY VERY dirty, but he
was alive and well and that was all that mattered. I had lost hope by then,
my boyfriend told me once he was found that he didn't think Max would be
found alive either, but he at least ACTED convinced we'd find them. I'm
happy to say we've never had a scare like that again. When Max goes anywhere
with me I do a LOT more ferret proofing and he wears a collar and bell.
Applejuice and Beckett get the same. I think the other two are mad at their
brother for causing them to wear those stupid little bells. :)
        Curious to hear any other lost ferret stories... and lessons learned
the HARD way.
 
Ferret kisses from Ahn and her beastlings.
[Posted in FML issue 1098]