On "Science Friday" Ira Flatow was interviewing Timothy Ferris and
accidently called him "Timothy Ferret" then said, "Oh, sorry, those
are animals I really like."
 
Rog, re: credit -- YES!  There are times when debt in unavoidable.  Some
things that it can be worthwhile for are: emergency expenses to be be
paid off when the bill arrives, schooling, mortgage, serious medical
costs, etc.  For most other things it's best to avoid debt, and when
there is debt it best to arrange to be able to pay it off as fast as
possible without penalty.  Don't let it add up!  The costs just get
higher and higher with interest till everything can be lost.
 
Most of the shelter people I've known as well as those with home ferrets
purposely have cut-off lines for how much time and how much money they
can manage.  If they don't, they risk putting themselves into the
hospital, an early grave, or bankruptcy so the limits of being just
human have to be accepted even when they hurt.  There is also the reality
that at some point there is NOT enough time or money for the ferrets and
then the situation can become one of hoarding which is an obsessive and
abusive situation.  Luckily, the vast majority of people seek help before
such levels can be reached.
 
We all know that it makes sense to give to shelters and to adopt to
reduce their burden (including handicapped ferrets, abused ferrets,
or older ferrets), of course.  The benefits from doing so add up.
 
At times I wonder why more folks don't give.  Yes, I know what hard times
are like.  This year we can't give, simply can't, but when we could we
put hefty sums (typically in the four figures each year,sometimes higher
and sometimes lower) annually into advancing veterinary knowledge for
ferrets, into shelters, and into other efforts -- like getting info out
there that was needed to help some states observe improvements in the
Compendium.  There seems to be a number folks, though, who don't give at
all, and that doesn't make sense to me in the least.  It simply isn't
possible for the same crew to always pick up the slack -- in work, in
donations, and so on.  If the people who haven't given find a way to do
so -- even just a little -- whether it is through labor at a ferret
shelter, joining BaM (the Buck a Month Club) so some other action then
a great deal of good will build from those actions.
 
On a more humorous note: Steve put together some numbers and figured that
we have thrown away about 8 tons of used litter in the years we've had
ferrets.  Talk about things that add up...
[Posted in FML issue 3989]