I just found out that my friends Pete & Annette, who are not members of
the fml, just lost their second ferret, Chicky, on Friday, after losing
Tucker less than a week before Christmas.
 
Tucker and Chicky were the reason I became friends with Pete & Annette
about six years ago.  Pete was the manager of the dive shop where I had
just been certified as a diver, and over the course of his selling me a
small fortune in scuba diving equipment (!) we discovered that we had both
recently become ferret parents.  Pete and his then-future wife Annette had
two albino ferrets named Tucker and Chicky, who then began regular play
dates with my first two ferrets, Clover and Alfalfa.  Over the years, we
took turns watching each others' crew during vacations and holidays.  My
crew eventually grew to six, but Tucker and Chicky remained a duo, and an
inseparable pair.
 
Tucker got sick with bronchitis last fall, and just never quite got over
it.  He had repeated bouts.  Medication, special feedings, lots of TLC,
etc., just didn't bring him back.  He kept getting weaker and weaker,
until his will to live was just gone.  The following is from Pete's email
on December 20th, telling me the news: "... he had no energy even with the
medication, vitamins, love and wet kibble we have been giving him.  Two
days ago he stopped eating and refused everything.  Yesterday morning
Annette called me at work to say that Tucker was not doing well at all and
when I got home we determined that he had to be put down as he did not
want to walk and he was clearly starving himself.  We both spent a good
long time letting him know how much we love him and how much he has
enriched our lives.  One more wonderful furball has passed on to the big
throw rug in the sky.  "
 
Chicky had her own health battles, but was holding her own.  She had an
adrenal tumor removed over a year ago, and had never regrown all of her
hair.  But overall she was pretty spunky.  But after Tucker left, she
pined away for him and stopped eating.  Extra attention and
forced-feedings didn't stimulate her appetite; she wanted to join Tucker.
So, on Friday, that's what she did.
 
Two little bundles of joy, mischief, and fun have left this realm and
crossed the Bridge.  Sandee, please watch for them and show them where the
dryer tubes are, those were their favorite toys.  Chicky's favorite trick
was luring big boy Tucker into the tube after her, then flying out the
other side as only a petite little athlete can, and coming back around to
attack him from behind.  He was so big he couldn't turn around in the tube
to fight back, and she had him!  Then there was the round fuzzy cat bed
that Tucker would stand on edge and roll around to use as a stepping-stool
to someplace he was not supposed to be.  That was a big kick for him,
getting into those forbidden places!  And a good belly-scratch...
 
These two will certainly be missed here, and I'm sure they're already
making new friends at the Bridge!
 
Nancy and critters
[Posted in FML issue 3676]