While my husband was ill and shortly after his death, ferret math hit
me and 5 more furkids joined us. Here's their stories...
 
"The truckbed twosome"
I regularly email all people who sell/give away their ferrets on the
local (and not so local) craigslist. I tell them about ferret shelters,
snake owners, insuring new owners are knowledgable, etc. I emailed
someone several hours up the coast about their responsibility when
giving away their 2 ferrets. They wanted me to take them....insisted
that I take them....that no one else was going to have them. Their 2
ferrets were older and "very loved" they said. A couple weeks later
they drove all the way down the coast to bring Isabella and Max to me.
It turned out to be an unusually warm day on the coast and when they
arrived with several dogs in the back of their truck panting like
crazy in the sun, I told them to let them out for some water....nope
they said, they're fine. I looked into the cab of the truck for the
ferrets....nope, they were in the back of the truck too, in the hot
sun, in a carrier, standing in their own feces and urine with no water
or food...and had been like that for HOURS! As the owners of the "very
loved" ferrets brought them into our house, I saw my 5 daughters race
to the truck to water the dogs. The golden retriever had already jumped
out of the truck and was racing down to one of our ponds. The girls
lifted the rest of the dogs out and they joined him as he laid down in
the water, lapping it like mad. I was busy in the house giving the 2
furkids water, water and more water. The owners of the "very loved"
ferrets quickly left and the girls told them to STOP on their way home
to get the dogs some WATER! And so "very loved" Isabella and Max aged
5+ had joined us to live out their lives.
  
"The park baby"
I received an email that a ferret had been found in a park and brought
to the animal shelter in a neighboring town. They don't take ferrets
but a volunteer took the ferret home as she was near death. She
contacted a mutual friend who traps feral cats for spaying/neutering.
The next morning my daughter and I drove to the shelter to pick the
ferret up. What a surprise to be handed a little baby ferret weighing
next to nothing with sparse coarse fur everywhere except on her tail
which was naked. The volunteer said she was covered in fleas so was
bathed and treated. The volunteer had even gone to a pet shop and got
samples of ferret food to feed her. When I looked into the baby's eyes,
they sparkled with life. I knew she would live! After a few days of
screaming at every ferret she saw, she joined Isabella and Max. Now she
is my fattest ferret. Her fur is gorgeous. Her best friend is Hero who
she loves with all her heart.
 
"The shelter kids"
When Chris and Dave Mathis at the Oregon Ferret Shelter told me they
were coming to my husband's service, I told them to bring me an "old
guy" to cuddle. Then I called Chris back and told her to bring him a
friend so he wouldn't be lonely. It was a 5-6 hour ride home for sweet
old Travis, a love bug with medical needs and tiny Tigger who had been
at the shelter for a very long time, passed over again and again by
adopters. They don't know what they missed!
 
"The whole group!"
I decided that 3 smaller groups should be a BIG group of nine so let
them all play together one day. I guess they thought they should be
together too because there was not one tiff. Amazing! Hero, Moxie,
Cutie Pootie and Daisy from one group joined Precious (the park baby)
and "the truckbed twosome" Isabella and Max who joined Travis and
Tigger the shelter kids!

Nancy in Oregon and her 21 fantastic furkids!

[Posted in FML 6867]