Hi everyone!
 
I've been reading the FML for a few weeks now and I finally decided it was
time to send something in myself.  If I didn't soon it would be way too long
to post.
 
Our family consists of three humans and ten animals.  Four cats, a yellow
lab, a 4ft iguana and my precious four ferrets.  My house isn't that big
either but I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.  It just seems that
sometimes we are up to our eyeballs in poop!
 
We just lost our precious Tasha (3 year old female sable) to adrenal cancer
two weeks ago.  It has been hard.  She was our first ferret and we haven't
stopped since.  She was so special because she was our lover.  An angel
actually if you can believe that of a ferret.  We have had three other
females who have gone over Rainbow Bridge.  One because of our stupidity.
Toby ate a foam earplug.  Had surgery done but she only lived one week.
Next Riki found an earplug, only God knows where, and she died after surgery
also.  I switched to digestable earplugs and still worry that one may be
hidden from long ago.  The third angel, Bean, was with us a long time.  We
got her shortly after we got Tasha.  Bean used up all her lives... She was
found bloody in the dryer once(only had a bloody nose) scared us to death.
Caught in the sleeper sofa a couple of times and mauled by a cat( we're not
sure) after she ,unknowing to us, escaped to the great outdoors.  She
managed to come home half alive but she pulled through.  Her untimley death
was brought on because she tried to get between a computer desk and a sewing
machine and got caught while we weren't home.  Her death was really hard on
us because she had survived so much and had just gotten her health back
after her attack.  Tasha was diagnosed with the cancer last fall and after a
period where we thought she would die because she was bald and skin and
bones, she perked up grew all her hair back twice as thick and put on lots
of weight.  We had ourselves convinced that it must have been a mistake.
Just a month ago she developed a swollen vulva again.  We tried lisodren but
either it was too strong or something because she developed internal
bleeding and we had to have her put to sleep on June 7 in the middle of the
night.  I still miss her so much.
 
Okay, now for the good stuff...We got Bubba last November for Tasha as a
playmate but he turned out to be too ornery and full of it for her.  He was
the biggest baby ferret we had ever seen and fell in love with him
instantly.  Bubba liked to pick on Tasha and with her being 3 and not well,
she didn't take to him at all.  We just had to find a playmate for Bubba to
keep him away from Tasha.  Soooo we heard of a ferret for sale on a bulletin
board for only $25 cage and all.  We rushed to get "Weasey" during a
blizzard in January.  It turned out that we were his third owner and he
wasn't in the best of health.  He had an ear infection and some congestion.
Plus the people told us he was a girl.  Can you imagine!!  To try and make a
long story short, Weasey wasn't the answer for Bubba either because he is
scared to death of everything.  We suspect that he might have been abused by
the first owner.  He "screams" when Bubba comes near.  He gets daily doses
of smootches and hugs and extra loving all the time to make up for his past.
Well...... enter "Emmet" this past April.  We took Bubba with us to the pet
store and Emmet picked Bubba out.  And no I don't have that backwards.
Bubba was so big and Emmet actually attacked him!!!  We decided right then
and there that he was our answer to prayer.  He has been, too, Bubba and he
are best friends.  Now for our latest addition.  Last Wednesday I visited
the pet store ( which is dangerous for me) to take them some toilet paper
and paper towel rolls for their mice and hamsters and there he was all alone
in the pen with all the other baby ferrets.(he is almost 6 mo.  old) He is
Emmet's brother and was never sold from the litter before.  I just told
myself that no one would probably buy him because he was so old compared to
the new babies and all that I just had to bring him home.  My husband didn't
even blink an eye.  After all he should have know better than to let me go
alone to the pet store.  I mean really what is one more animal anyway.  Now
just imagine this poor little boy was born on Jan.  30 and spent the whole
time in that pet store, he went nuts when I let him lose after bringing him
home.  He didn't stop for hours.  Explored everywhere, didn't even stop long
enough for Bubba or Emmet to say Hi, buddie.  We named him Mooky and don't
ask me why the name just popped into my head...He has adjusted so well to
everyone although he is a bit of a biter which we will definately work on.
I think Bubba is teaching him to chase the cats....Everyone leaves Weasey
alone to his cage( we keep the door open when we are home so he can come and
go as he pleases) Weasey is happy, Bubba has two playmates now and Tasha is
at Rainbow Bridge and happy, too.
 
I'm sorry this has gotten so long.  I knew I should have written sooner.  I
just wanted you all to know how much we enjoy the daily FML.  I print it out
and read it at bedtime and relate all the wonderfully hilarious stories to
my daughter and husband.  Even my non animal friends at work are burdened
with the terrific stories.  I must admit that I cry sometimes at the sad
ones and skip over the boring ones or ones I don't want to read.  I want to
vote to keep the wedding stories coming.  I'm just getting used to the
language and I don't have as hard a time reading them anymore.  The FML has
become a very important part of my daily routine and I would be lost without
it.  I had fallen into depression from the loss of so many of my animals and
am now just starting to pull myself together with help from my therapist and
all of you should know that you are helping too with all the wonderful
advise and information and especially the stories.  The story of the little
one with no feet...Foggy... meant so much and I laughed until I rolled from
the short's story and the barbequed cat (Odie's escape) story.  Please don't
change anything.  We are loving every minute.
 
Well, now that everyone is totally bored and has scrolled down past my
story, I will end.  Thanks again to everyone involved.  You are making soooo
many people happy.  God Bless all you fuzzy people and especially all the
fuzzies in the world.  Hugs and nippy kisses to all.
 
Pat, Steve, Angie,(the humans) Bubba, Emmet, Weasey, Mooky( the fuzz butts),
Smokey, Cali, Oreo, Muffin (the cats), Hanna(the dog)and Kermie (the iguana).
[Posted in FML issue 1617]