[Diane wrote about Rocket, who seems to shiver vigorously just
before his bath.]
 
Hi Diane,
 
Our MF sable Gilbert used to be pretty much terrified of baths or showers.
He'd shake and occasionally even poop from fear.  I don't know quite what
got him to calm down, but certainly a little treat of ferretone before,
during, or after bathtime distracts him from his worries.
 
He's also the guy who sticks his head in buckets of water during Aquarium
water changing time and stirs the water with his head a couple of inches
underwater, so I don't think his problem is fear of plain old water.
 
These days he tolerates showers (which he only gets every few weeks or
less anyway) pretty well.  I try to keep the water temperature right about
body temp (95-100 deg F), since I figure it's unpleasant to be dunked in
cold water, even though, like Rocket, Gilbert seems not to care too much
about temperature.  I also try to support his whole body with my arm as
well as possible, since it must be uncomfortable to be hanging by your
front arms as you're scrubbed/drenched, even if the scrubbing is as gentle
as possible.  Finally, I kind of trick him into the shower; he already
likes to poke his head in while I'm showering, and that gets him pretty
wet, so I just entice him further into the shower and soon he doesn't even
seem to notice that he's *all* wet.
 
Post-bathtime is of course occasion for much joy and running around drying
off on every nearby fuzzy object.
 
Good Luck!
Dennis
[Posted in FML issue 1190]