Just had to weigh in on the ferret emotions topic. I do believe ferrets
grieve for a lost friend--whether it be fur kid or human. I fostered
one ferret who just gave up after being brought to the rescue. Lucy was
healthy when she was brought to the rescue but within a month she was
gone. She died in my arms. I did everything to get her to eat and drink
and tried to get her to play, but Lucy just gave up.

My Gracie lost 3 cage mates in 2 months--2 died 10 days apart. She
grieved for each one. My husband and I became her play mates and she
became our shadow when she was out for play time by herself (not all
my fur kids get along and Gracie is the one everybody picks on). If
we stopped playing with her, Gracie would just go off and sleep some
where--usually in her cage mates' favorite spots. After a couple of
months, we introduced her to our newest additions to our business,
Angel and Snowball. It took Gracie a week or so to get use to having
new friends but now she and Snowball play and play and play. Angel has
some health issues and doesn't play a lot but I can usually find Gracie
curled up with him in their cage.

Avery, who crossed the Bridge last year, could not be separated from
me for more than 24 hours. I only left him twice--once with a ferret
sitter and once with my husband--when I had to go out of town. He
stopped eating and drinking and refused to play. Needless to say, I did
not leave him home anymore when I went out of town--he came along!!
And, he was such a great traveler. He was also a great healer. I was
diagnosed with major depression a couple of months after Avery and his
'brother' Dancer adopted my husband and I. They were the only reason I
got up in the morning. Sadly, Dancer died when he was 6 months old, so
it was just Avery for awhile. Avery did fine after Dancer died--he was
sad for maybe a day. After that, he bonded with me and never let go :).
He was my heart and I miss him terribly. But, I have 11 other ferrets
who have helped me with MY grief over losing Avery as well as Gabriel,
Sebastian and Lucy Lu.

Anyways--that is my story :)

LISA

Ferret mom to Angel, Snowball, Gracie, Erin, Bear, Carlin, Turner,
Molly, Mikey, Lottie, and George

[Posted in FML 5511]