Ferrets will talk to you if you know or learn their language.  When Bud
was ill he would come to me and 'tell' me of his issues and I would pick
him up to sooth him.  He had spasms where his legs would charley horse up
tight so he could only drag his butt with his legs sticking out forward.
I would massage his legs and after awhile the muscles would loosen up and
his legs would work normally.
 
At the last of it he came to me and lay his head on my foot.  He seemed
fine other than his resting his chin on my foot.  The next day I found
him dead.  He seemed to be telling me 'good by!!'
 
Nibble-ed did the same thing the day before she crossed the bridge.  They
seem to know when time is near and will 'tell' me in their own way.
 
Today Byte-me came to me and lay her chin on my foot like the others did.
I dread what I may find in the morning.  She is old, slow, blind and
arthritic.  She has big tumors that cannot be removed.  Carol McCraig
tells me she has seen quite a few ferts with that lately, not sure what
it is but she is extremely knowledgeable of ferts (has always over 100 in
her shelter at any time) and has seen it all.  Those she had with tumor
like Byte-me has would be fine one day and cross the bridge the next.
 
Byte-me is 6 1/2 years old now.  Is old for a fert, but not terribly old.
She is my very first fert and has outlasted all the other rescues I took
in.  Such a sweet and gentle little animal, I sorely hate to see anything
happen to her.
 
She has been sleeping almost non stop last week or so.  She does get up
to wander to the kitchen for a poop but back to either her cage (door is
always left open so she comes and goes at will) or curls up either in an
old mattress pad or a box I made, lined with carpet and has bedding in
there she pulls over herself to cruise in sleep.  The excessive sleep
has the chin rest move taking on special meaning.
 
Will see what the future brings.
 
Gordon and Byte-me.
Missing Podo, Bud, Nibble-ed and Kodo.
[Posted in FML issue 4790]