As some of you may know Pest R Doodle was showing those signs of
excessive age. The sleeping almost 24x7 except to get up to eat and
poop was a clear sign of those symptoms a ferret displays when the end
is near. Yesterday she did that solid all day and in the evening when
I come to the family room she always greets me expecting a treat. She
was not there yesterday, she slept thru it all under my sweat shirt
with not a move.

I reached under all that and felt her to be sure she was ok, she was
but she wasn't moving more than to give my hand a kiss which she always
did. Normally in the late evening I take her to my bedroom where she
gets up under the bed spread to curl up and sleep with me thru the
night. Last night I knew she was not in her regular mode so left her
in the cage to sleep the night. I didn't think she was well enough to
stay with me.

This morning when I got up the first thing I did, as always, was to
check on Pester. This morning she was on the second floor of her cage
but under the hammy she always loved. She was laying on the carpet
under the hammy on her stomach with fore legs stretched out front.
It seemed she tried to get into the hammy and was not able. She was
totally unresponsive and fur was not warm. Her eyes, one was closed the
other was open just a slit. I picked her up to look for signs of her
movements but there were none. After a bit I set her back into the cage
on top of her favorite sweat shirt hoping for her to eventually move,
but she didn't. I checked for breathing but there was no sign. I could
not detect a heartbeat. She passed only an hour before I got up.

Pest R. Doodle had crossed the bridge peacefully.

I got her as a rescue with Peek A Boo thru the shelter in Annandale,
Va. , Ferrets First. Peek A. Boo had a huge cancer that took over the
whole right side of her head and face. Was a huge ugly growth that
took her. These were inseparable. There is a picture of then curled up
sleeping in Joe Bear's FML Calendar, a shot I had waited for seemingly
for ever to get with the camera, and I did. They came from West Va.
where at least one owner, most likely two turned them in to the SPCA
who kept them for a very long time. The SPCA was about to put them
both down where they needed the room and no one would take them. Sight
unseen I volunteered to take them. Someone in W. Va. went to the
shelter and got them, brought them to his home and kept them till he
went bowling and then passed them off to Robin of the shelter. Robin
then gave them to a friend who was going to Maryland and was kind
enough to drive to Fredericksburg, Va. where I met her and picked them
both up to bring here. These two had been around the block for sure
but they found that forever home.

I will take Pester to the place where the dozen or so other ferrets I
have given forever homes to are resting and let her join them. She was
probably about six years old, I have had her for four years and she was
more than a year old when I got her. She was at least two years old and
possibly three so Pester had a relatively long life for a ferret. She
gave me tons of laughs and good fun for those years. Always full of
kisses for me and lots of companionship. For sure I will be at a loss
for her absence.

Now I don't have a ferret, just a huge empty cage. Sigh.

Gordon

_12-2Addy CEO

[Posted in FML 7350]