Greetings to everyone.  I know this is a ferret site but occasionally
there is a member of another animal clan that has been such a loyal
ferret friend that when they pass it is worth notation.
 
Anyone who has seen my photos on my yahoo album "Harmony House" will
recall the pictures of the fluffy main Coon cat named Mefur.  I received
Mefur when he was just three weeks old.  He had been found on the Marine
Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC under the Marine Expeditionary Force(MEF)
building.  This is how I chose his name.  My other cat Casper was not
int rested in playing with the kitten so the kitten found playmates his
own size and mentality.  I was fostering two little girl ferrets from
Dook-n-Dance who were only a few months old.  The three became fast
friends and were always together be it scampering through the house, in
the cage enjoying a ferret food snack or as one big fuzzy pile napping
behind the sofa.
 
Mefur always was up for a friendly wrestling match with any fuzzbutt
that would grab his tail.  His other favorite fur friend was Dino the
retired K-9.
 
This was Mefurs second trip to MA.  Due to my fathers allergies to cats
Mefur had to stay with my brother who stays in a trailer on the property.
His cat Tank and Mefur were getting along but I would go up to the
trailer with the dogs to let Mefur out so he could see that he wasn't
abandoned.  He would also follow me to the ferrets pen and visit with
them while I cleaned their cage.
 
We have been here almost two weeks.  I'm very careful to make sure that I
have caught Mefur and put him back in the trailer before dark.  Saturday
at dusk I went looking for him and he was no where to be found.  I kept
looking until I could no longer see and figured that he was hiding to
avoid being put up.  The next morning as I was walking the dogs down a
wooded path to the pond I discovered Mefurs collar with blood on it and
what looked like a tooth hole going through it.  I talked to my brother
and he said that he did hear some sort of scuffling and that the Coy-dogs
had been active that night.
 
I walked the coyote path as far as I could go but there was no sign or
remains to be found.  The int resting thing was that later on that day I
attended a ceremony for the towns 350th anniversary which Incorporated a
ceremony for 911.  Here was a family that lived here in my home town that
perished on one of the planes that hit the towers.  The man his wife and
infant son were flying from Boston to NY.  He called his father on his
cell phone to tell him not to worry and to take comfort in the fact that
death would be quick.
 
When I heard the father speak those words about his son I felt comfort.
The coyotes were only looking for food.  Due to fast growing housing and
other developments many animals have been displaced.  Because food is now
scarce the animals must venture on to human occupied places seeking food.
I feel that because I could not find Mefurs body that the coyote carried
him off.  There are hungry cubs this time of year.  So maybe Mefurs life
was taken in order that others may survive.
 
I'm sure that when he crosses the bridge he will have lots of slobber on
him if Dino is on duty at the gate.  I know that soon he will once again
feel the tug on his tail as Gizmo, Numa and Goldrush tackle him from
behind the bushes as he passes through ferret country and that Casper in
all his fuzzy white glory leads him to his place between catland and
ferret world to keep an eye out for Gerry their beloved mommy dog.
 
With a heavy heart I say good by to a dear four footed furry friend.
 
Wendy
Harmony House
[Posted in FML issue 4999]