I am no expert on ferrets, or any other animals for that matter, however,
a friend of mine was a chain smoker in a studio apartment and his cat had
very bad coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing just as long-term
human smokers have.  If you wouldn't smoke around your infant, you
probably shouldn't around your animals either.  And from what I've heard,
ferrets have very sensitive respiratory systems, and since they are so
much smaller than we, they would be taking in more toxins per body
weight.
 
I'm not telling smokers not to smoke; I used to smoke myself.  The cat
I had at the time hated it and would leave the room, which tells you
something.  But I would limit smoke exposure to animals and children.
Hey, you know it's bad for you, but it's your decision if you want to
take that chance.  One of my friends died at age 40 from lung cancer;
another got emphasema at 50.  My grandmother, who was not a smoker but
lived with smokers all her life, died of lung cancer.
 
Ferrets who lived near the WTC site got sick, with breathing problems,
and better when the family moved away.  We can't control all the toxins
in our homes and environments, but cigarette smoke is one we can.  You
can always go outside, or into a room with a closed door and window open.
 
The reason cities are banning smoking from public places is that there
IS evidence that second-hand smoke can cause cancer.  Humans have lots
of destructive habits, but we have a choice in participating in them;
our animals and children do not.
[Posted in FML issue 4580]