I think everyone who has already replied to this topic has hit the nail
on the head. I add my story for support and possibly a bit more
understanding...
My husband and I have been married for almost 2 years. We knew we wanted
children, and we started trying right away. (Sooner we have 'em, sooner
they graduate and we can retire, right? LOL Just a joke...) I have had
2 miscarriages. My life was completely torn apart, and depression ran my
life for almost a year. After moping around and not leaving the house
for about 2 weeks, my husband brought home the best surprise I have ever
received. It was a female sable kit. My brother had ferrets, but I
hadn't really ever been around them much. Crickett, our first ferret,
stole my heart. All the maternal instincts kicked in and was like
therapy. I had something to hold, something to love, something to care
for. Something innocent, childlike, and depended on me.
I later adopted Gus-Gus from a wonderful foster home in Texas so Crickett
would have ferret-company. Unfortunatly, he couldn't stay with us long.
After 9 months of loving him, he passed away. The vets say he ate
something that punctured where his intestines and stomach meet, and he
was leaking enternally. When we knew there was something wrong, I took
him to the vet. The X-ray didn't show anything, and I had to make the
decision to do an exploratory surgery. There they found the hole. They
fixed it, but it was too late. In the wee hours of the new year 2001, he
passed. I was inconsolable for days, until I read the Rainbow Bridge
poem. It makes losing a fuzzie easier if you think of it that way. Just
as in life! Most people believe in a heaven, and it's nice to think that
all their loved ones are waiting there for them.
I currently have 3 ferrets, and one beagle who thinks he's a ferret.
We're still trying to have kids, although it is depressing each time the
test says "no", and scary each time it says "yes" because I don't know
if I will be blessed with a child, or have to go through the pains of
miscarriage again. We're not giving up. When the time comes that I
deliver a healthy child, I will not get rid of the ferrets, nor will the
ferrets have priority over my child. I agree with everyone who has said,
"it's a different bond, a different love".
Yes, I refer to my ferret as my "kids". I feed them, play with them,
watch them grow, and see the innocence and their dependence on me to
provide for them and love them. If that makes me a "fanatic", then I
will proudly carry the banner of such. But I know I am NOT the only
ferret "fanatic" out there. I started a Texas ferret club, a Georgia
ferret club, and just recently came up with the F.A.B (Fuzzy Army Brats)
Club. With the exception of F.A.B (because I haven't told or invited
anyone yet), people with similar ideals have joined, so I know I'm not
alone. Yes, my mother still laughs at me when I send her pictures of her
grand-ferrets, but she doesn't judge me for it. That's what's great
about this country. Everyone is entitled to their belief and opinion.
I'm not flaming or bashing Annoyed for sharing hers. I'm just exercising
MY freedom and sharing my opionion, and asking her to try to understand
where some of us are coming from.
I apologize for being long-winded. Meant for this to be short and sweet,
but emotions ran away with me.
Love and ferret kisses,
Jessica, and my "furkids":
Crickett, the boss
Rascal, the klepto
George, the now BIG baby
Fred, the ferret BEAGLE
missing our beloved Gus-Gus, the big-boned (Hey! I'm not fat, I'm just
big boned!)
=====
Lone Star Ferrets Website: http://www.geocities.com/lone_star_ferrets
Lone Star Ferrets Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lonestarferrets
Peachy Ferrets Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/peachyferrets
Fuzzy Army Brats Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/fuzzyarmybrats
[Posted in FML issue 3906]
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