As a child my earliest animal memory is of my Mother coming in from the
back fields with a surprise in her pocket for me..  She'd come across a
nest of baby Garter snakes and just had to share them with me..  I was
perhaps 2 or 3 years old-- we always had animals never just a few
either-- tons of animals-- whether it was baby bunnies or often mice
being fed by eyedropper and kept warm in a shoe box..  or the hord of
ranch cats..  or a new born pig in a cardboard box in my bedroom.  I
always had a gentle ear to talk to and a friend to play with..  I was
raised as an only child.  My brothers and sisters all lived away and I
only saw them on Holiday's..  we lived on a ranch too far from town for
play dates ... so Human friends were few..

When I married -- I was in for a culture shock-- my husband ( city boy)
hadn't had pets much and had a lot to learn about his new wife and her
zoo..  He was transfered to Virginia and I couldn't bring my pets..my
parents kept them safe and I flew from the nest taking only our Basset
Hound puppy and moved far from home to the city and to an apartment..
It didn't take long for Darling hubby to realize I was lost without my
furries (especially when he was out to sea)..  He went out and found me
a kitten..

I have never had an empty house since-- and never will..  Secretly I
think he'd miss them more now than I would..

Many years has passed and My daughter has grown up with both furry and
human friends..  I think we share so much more because we share our love
of critters..

Currently our house has 2 dogs, 7 cats, 11 ferrets, 2 field mice, and
several fish..

I am rarely bored and never lonely..

Lisa

~A dog or cat may steal your heart but a ferret will steal your soul~
[Posted in FML issue 5271]