Hi Steve,
    Kitty, Ferrah, Pepper (and me) all send you and Smokey a net hug.
Actually, even Buddy and Fletch join in.
 
    I lost a cat a few years ago when I took him to the vets to get
neutered.  I had never felt so bad as when the vet called me to tell
me that Tarantula had died.  I had never had a cat like him before, he
liked riding in the car, with his head out the window like a dog.  He
even would walk on a leash!
 
    For the next few days, I just moped around the house, missing
Tarantula.  After a few days of this, I decided that what I needed was
another cat.  Not to replace Tarantula, but to give me something new
to do.  So I went to the shelter and adopted Fletch.  Watching him
explore the house, meeting the ferrets (and running from them) and
getting to know me helped me to get over Tarantula's death.  No, he has
never replaced Tarantula, just helped me move on.
 
    I would recommend that you get another ferret for Smokey to
play with.  It will give you something to do other that feel guilty
about Bear.  Smokey will probably be glad to have a new playmate.
 
    When I introduced Pepper to Kitty and Ferrah, the only problem
was that Pepper was scared of them.  It took him about a week to decide
that they would be fun to play with.  My neighbors have a ferret that
they bring over to play with my ferrets.  Bandit gets along just fine
with my crowd, and just like my ferrets, he loves chasing the cats.
So don't worry about a new ferret getting along with Smokey, and do
yourself a favor; adopt another ferret (or 2).
--
Brian Millham     |Kitty      |Fletch |Dragon's Lair |Kick Man |New World
AT&T Bell Labs    |Ferrah     |Buddy  |Space Ace     |Sinistar |High Speed
Denver, Co.       |Dr. Pepper |       |              |         |
[log in to unmask] |(ferrets)  |(cats) |(laser disc)  |(video)  |(pinball)
 
[Posted in FML issue 0301]