Well, so many of you followed his life, through surgery and his lympho,
cardio, and other problems, I figured you would want to know that about 20
minutes ago, my beautiful Patches crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  Yesterday I
knew that it was coming, well, I've known for a while.  He just didn't have
that mischevious glow in his eyes, and he hasn't smiled for a while.  He is
the only ferret that I have that really, really smiled.  Lately he hasn't
wanted to "motor" around the ferret room, and he was starting to not want
treats or even NutriCal.  A life not even wanting raisins or NutriCal is
certainly a life not worth living, so I knew that it was time to put him
down.
 
Today I called my vet, and told her what I was thinking, and she said that
if I knew it was time, it must be.  Only a mommy knows, I guess.  So we
decided that in a day or two we'd do it, and she offered to even come to the
house to do it so it would be easier on both him and me.  Then tonight, I
just knew that I needed to spend some time with him and hold and cuddle him,
so I brought him out and held him.  He kept making this little moan every
now and then when I moved him, so I knew he was feeling pain.  So I laid him
on the floor and laid down with him, and just petted him and talked to him.
It was the strangest thing, he remained silent, but the only time he moaned
was if I mentioned the words "rainbow bridge" or "die." I'd told him all
about the Rainbow Bridge before, three months ago before his surgery.  So he
knew about it, but it was really wierd, I think he was really afraid to die.
So I was reminding him that it was a good place, and that dying was okay,
that all it was was his soul leaving this horrible body that he was burdened
with.  So when he moaned, every time I mentioned these two words, I thought
maybe he was afraid to die.  So I asked him, are you afraid to die?  And he
made this big moan.  So I looked right into his eyes and told him that it
was okay, that Mommy would be fine, that he would no longer feel pain, and
that Lilly and Whiskey were up there to take care of him, and that someday
I'd come to get him again...
 
I could tell then that he was slipping away, so I just kept repeating "I
love you..." and in just a few minutes, he was gone.  I'm just hoping that
he believed everything that I said to him, and that his last moments were
free of fear.  In any case, Patches is now somewhere where there is no pain,
no illness, a place where his legs work and he can walk and dook and play
again.
 
Take care, Patches. I will love you, miss you, and remember you always.
 
Kymberlie Becker Barone
Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
"Forget Puppy Love...There's nothing Greater than Ferret Love!" TM
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/ferretlady
[Posted in FML issue 2086]