I just finished watching Cujo (2nd time).  You know, the Stephen King-rabid dog
movie.  I felt so sorry for the poor dog.  He got so confused and bothered, and
it wasn't his fault his brain wasn't working right.  It was the fault of yet
another irresponsible owner.  And who pays for it?  The poor animals of course
(and well, the lady and little boy and the others who died).
 
Anyway, got me to thinking about ferrets.  I can just imagine that that (Cujo)
must reflect the magnitude of fear some people must have of ferrets, ferrets who
aren't even rabid!  My friends and relatives (especially my mother!) are deathly
afraid of Nash.  Like he might just leap onto the couch and rip out their
throats for fun.  Yea right.  Maybe we all need signs on our homes that say
"Beware of Killer Ferret!"   Ferrets just need to be understood in their own
ferret-like capacity.  We can't assume they're like dogs or cats.  When people
see us with Nash and start going on about how cute he is, I never hesitate to
say that ferrets really aren't a child's pet.  They need too much attention and
supervision.  And, I hate to say it, but yes, a ferret will bite a rambunctious
squealing little child (hey, those ear-ripping squeals can get on my nerves
too.)
 
I remember the first time I ever saw a ferret.  I was a junior or senior in
college.  I was walking through the administration building and this guy was
walking down the hall with this furry, adorable, masked creature riding on his
shoulder.  A pushover for any animal--espescially an unusual, furry one--I just
had to say hi to the furry.  But the guy was pretty distant about it, like he
didn't want any of us to touch the ferret or anything.  And now I can understand
why.  It's that ferret misconception.  How is a stranger (or friend for that
matter) going to react if they reach out to pet and he bites? Or even just
swings his head around to sniff out this strange, new hand?  A lot of people are
scared of that.  A ferret is not right for everyone.
 
Nash knows my husband and me by smell or voice or something.  He just acts
differently when someone else is holding him.  He seeks my mother out to bite
her; maybe he knows she's terrified.  I have a wonderful picture of Nash
crawling all over Daddy's head, Daddy squenching his eyes closed.  Nash never
gives kisses to anyone else but me and Brett.  Isn't that funny?  I know he
knows.  Do other ferrets act like this?  Do your ferrets know you're special?
 
Well, I'm not sure what I'm trying to say.  If none of this makes sense, well,
it's after midnight, so...until next time,
 
Jennifer, Brett, and Nash
 
 
PS  I thought I just read recently that the Kansas bite case was over becuz the
victim took the shots.  But now I just read that they're still after the ferret.
what's going on here?
 
[Posted in FML issue 0706]