Kat,
 
I have not written to you since the passing of Mr. Fiscus, but your
beautiful words of compassion and hope bring tears of gratitude to my
eyes for all the little ones who have the love of a human, if even for
a short time.  And, particularly when they must leave us.
 
Thank you for helping us to see and remember that a few months of love
is better than no love at all.  My heart breaks for the fuzzies who are
alone, abandoned or neglected as they pass to the bridge.
 
I would like to add a short(?) story about a situation that came up
this weekend.  About two years ago I received a phone call from my
daughter-in-law's mom, Carol, saying that they wanted to give up their
two fuzzies, Cinnamon and Ginger, as they just felt that they didn't
have the time for them.  Carol and family are very devout Christians
and I went over to the house with gifts for the fuzzies - tube, hammies,
toys - and talked to her and her youngest daughter Heather about their
commitment to the fuzzies and their responsiblity as Christians to two
of God's wonderful creations.  I spent time playing with the fuzzies
while I spoke with them and we watched the two fuzzkids play with their
new tube - what a hoot to watch them whooshing thru the tube at break-neck
speed.  The family was planning a week's vacation and I agreed to care
for Cinnamon and Ginger at my home during their absence and asked them to
re-think their decision about the fuzzies.  Well, Cinnamon almost died
that weekend from stress from missing her little girl Heather.  I was
syringe feeding her water and Duck Soup all through Friday night, Saturday
and Saturday night.  On Sunday, I called to see if they were home and that
I needed to get Cinnamon home as quickly as possible as she was very ill.
I packed up the girls and held Cinnamon in my lap as I drove the 4 - 5
miles to their home.  She seemed so weak and helpless and I was so worried
about her.  To make matters worse, I put my Jenny in the cage, instead of
Ginger!  When I got to their house, I handed Cinnamon to Heather saying
that she was very ill and what I had been doing for the past few days to
keep her alive.  Heather kissed Cinnamon over and over and then put her
down on the floor.  Cinnamon ran to her food dish, ate and drank and
pooped a normal poop!  I have never experienced such a miraculous recovery
from an animal that was pooping diarrhea and not eating or drinking
ANYTHING!  We all stood there and said a prayer of thanks and watched
Cinnamon dook around the kitchen like nothing was wrong.  Both Carol and
Heather knew that they had been given a second chance with their little
ones and they re-committed themselve to their fuzzies.  Oh by the way, I
handed Ginger (Jenny) to Heather and she was surprised at how much weight
she had gained.  I agreed that she had been eating and playing and seemed
to be very happy visitng with my other 5 ferrets.  It was then that we
realized that I had brought the wrong Ginger.  How embarrassing..... I
had to take Jenny home and bring Ginger back.  Oh well... Everything can't
always be perfect!
 
After two years of loving and caring for their fuzzies, Carol and Heather
have just found out that their little Cinnamon has a large malignant mass
on her intestines and will not be with them for much longer.  I was so
saddened to hear this news.  However, Cinnamon has her little girl Heather
to care for her and be with her when she leaves for the bridge and for
that I am grateful.  Ginger is another story and I won't go into that now.
 
Kat, you are right when you say that some people should never and will
never be good fuzzie parents, but sometimes our example can help some
people get through a tough time and re-commit to their fuzzies.  Each
situation is different.  BTW, Carol is learning about Duck Soup and
syringe feedings for little Cinnamon and I have agreed to come over to
help her whenever I can.
 
Phyllis
[Posted in FML issue 3816]