Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth to the discussion about ferrets and
kitchens.  We live in a 70 plus year old house, with nice big heating vents,
which has all been carpeted except for the kitchen and the bathroom.  It
would be almost impossible to ferret proof this house and still have heat in
the winter and the A/C in the summer, so we made the decision to put the
ferrets in the kitchen.
 
There are some drawbacks, but the ferrets get lots more attention this way
then if they were upstairs, and we have the heating ducts blocked by the
dishwasher.  I should also mention that these ferrets live in their big
Midwest cage most of the time, which has three hammocks and an extra shelf
to help prevent anyone from falling too far.
 
So, for our house, the kitchen is the ferret place, and linoleum is a lot
easier to clean after the inevitable litter box misses!
 
Dooks to all the fuzzies!
 
Sara and Kurt and the twelve ferrets plus one dog
[Posted in FML issue 2036]