I want to thank the many people who took the time to privately e-mail me
about ferrets surviving in cold weather.  It was very reassuring.  It sure
helps to have support!
 
I am paraphrasing for the list what I told some of you privately, because
think you can never have enough ideas about looking for lost ferrets.
 
ONE FERRET FOUND!  I made 100 flyers and put them in every mailbox and
doorway for three blocks around, as well as on trees and telephone poles.
24 hours later we got a call from a neighbor who had one of our babies in
his garage.  He was shaking all over and his tail was the size of a whisk
broom.  I think if it weren't for the flyers we might not have been so
lucky -- the neighbor had seen the flyer in his mailbox.  I kinda think the
words I used in the flyer helped, too, because the man who called me said
he didn't really know if what he had was a ferret or what, but his wife had
read the flyer and picked up the animal.  Here's what it said: "Lost
Ferrets - Vicinity of (Location).  (Large clear graphic of ferret.) Small,
furry PETS, tame and friendly, will not bite.  Family heartbroken.  (Tel.
# ) " Neighbors have been VERY kind.  Several volunteered to leave their
garage doors open a bit, and one put out cat food without me even asking.
There are so many barns, garages, woodpiles, crawl spaces.......and I put
out a carrier with lots of towels.  We live in a suburb with very large
yards and lots of woods, but Megabyte was six houses down at a house facing
the other street.  So he traveled but not that far.  The shelter mom here
thinks maybe the other two wouldn't have gone that far, they may be closer.
I go out every few hours calling them.  Why wouldn't they come if they
could hear me?  My kids, and many neighbor kids, are also out looking.  One
neighbor kindly told me to pray to St. Anthony.  I'd never done that before,
but I dropped to my knees in the kitchen for sure!  Maybe that's how
Megabyte got found.
 
The surviving ferret is the youngest, biggest, furriest and fattest of the
three, so I had the most hope for him.  The other two are small, scrawny,
older females.  One is blind.  Today I put an ad in the paper, and of course
I have called every shelter, animal officer, vet, etc., and also put the
flyers in stores.
 
Again thanks for taking the time to reply -- especially about the good
possibilty that they CAN survive the winter conditions.
 
Kat
[Posted in FML issue 2192]