Yesterday, I said good-bye to a good friend.
 
I don't often write about my losses, because I prefer when I write about
my kids for it to be about the happy times.  But Elvira, or Elly as we
called her, was a bit special.  She had lived for 6 years with ADV.
 
The first time I saw Elly, at a ferret show, I fell in love with her.
She was a beautiful 5 month old kit.  She was a large girl - very well
built.  She was a little on the bulldog side, but not to an extreme.
But what really caught my eye was her color.  She was a gorgeous black
point, with the whitest undercoat I had ever seen.
 
I knew she had to go home with me.  And, I also knew at once what her
name would be - Elvira.  For some reason, she made me think of Elvira,
Mistress of the Dark.
 
Elly proved to be headstrong, but still loving.  She just liked to make
it clear that she was not going to let any human be in charge.
 
Elly had 2 beautiful litters before she encountered ADV.  The first was
born on July 4, 1988, and the second on Memorial Day, 1999.  Elly liked
to give birth on holidays.
 
She was a great mother, although fiercely protective of her children.
She was more then happy to let me help with the deliveries, but once she
had rested, didn't want me touching anything in the cage, which made it
difficult to clean the litter pan and bedding.  Still, we managed.
 
Unfortunately, most of her second litter was still with us when ADV came
into our house.  Elly didn't seem to mind, though, that they became
permanent residents as a result.  This litter was mostly boys, and a
very mischievous and rambunctious group of boys to boot.  They earned
the nickname "The Hooligans" because that description fit them
perfectly.  Elly seemed proud of her unruly boys, and preferred their
company over her daughter or any of the other ladies in the house.
 
Elly ruled her Hooligans with an iron paw, though.  The boys knew not to
mess with their Momma El.  Even when they were 3 and 4 years old, and
twice her size, she would grab them by the scruff of the neck if they
did something she disapproved of.  And, she also made a point of pinning
them down and grooming them when she felt they needed it.
 
As she grew old, her boys responded by taking care of her.  Elly never
had to sleep alone - she always had at least one of her boys curled
around her protecting her.
 
In the last year, several of her boy have gone to the Bridge, until
Buddy was the only one left to protecting her.  Part of how I knew
something was wrong was the Elly suddenly stopped letting Buddy sleep
with her.
 
While Elly had slowed down in the past year or 2, and had lost some of
her good looks, she remained active, and still enjoyed exploring and
eating her soup.  She was quite a site as she wondered about the house,
because age and gravity had shifted her body weight down below her, and
her belly hung down and waved from side to side when she walked.  She
didn't seem to care though - she had places to check and things to do.
 
And so, up until the last few days of her life, Elly enjoyed relatively
good health.  When the end came, it came fairly quickly, and without
obvious discomfort.  Her poor tired body just started to shut down, and
she let me know it was time to release her spirit and let go.
 
I know that the sadness I am feeling now is more for myself then for her.
She had a good life, and lived it to the fullest up to the very end.
Still, the house seems so empty without her.  And, Buddy is also taking
the loss hard.  For now, he wants nothing to do with any of the other
ferrets.  So, he and I will offer each other comfort.
 
We miss you Miss Elly, little Elly-belle, our Momma El.
 
I have created and online album with some of her pictures from over the
years.  Anyone who is interested can view it at:
    http://www.picturetrail.com/gid8188356
--
Danee
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV! Visit:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
 
[Moderator's note: Above message was posted to other mailing lists as
well, so we have some responses already, below.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 4975]