To Linda, Espie and Frankie:
 
My heart goes out to you on the loss of C-pi.  Your account of her last days
touched off memories of all the sad vigils we have held for furries in our
own household.  While nothing but the passage of time, and bringing new ones
into your life, can really attenuate the grief, maybe you can take a measure
of consolation from this:
 
First, you did the right thing, and at the right time.  You did everything pos
sible to save her, but her little body had irreparably failed, and forcing
her to stay alive would only have prolonged the agony.
 
Second, it sometimes happens--and it has happened to a couple of ours--that
furries in their death-agonies are just so all-around miserable that they
appear to struggle against being held or physically comforted.  Don't read
more than that into it: Surely as long as she was really aware of her
surroundings, she must have known and appreciated all the love and support
you gave her.
 
And finally, though perhaps it's just "coincidence" or the fact that the
genetic pool of ferrets is fairly small, if you keep bringing more ferrets
into your life it's a pretty safe bet that one day you will find a little
jill or hob that reminds you so much of C-pi, in every way, that you will
truly feel her little soul is back with you again.
 
Howard Davis
[Posted in FML issue 1063]