It was one of those perfect Spring weather days when I first met her.  The
air was fragrant with blossoms and the sky so huge and blue it looked as if
you could just reach up and grab a piece of brightness.
 
She had been turned over to a friend when her original owner decided not to
keep her, but since she did not fit in with any of the ferrets in her
playgroup, I had agreed to find her a home.  But first we thought of a name
for her and because everything was in bloom we decided on Princess Tiger
Lilly.  Well, it took a minute or two before she captured my heart.  She
was a petite chocolate mitt with delicate feet and features.  A right
proper little lady with a lush and shiny coat.  She was judged by the vet
to be approximately 1 year old.
 
Upon arriving home I quickly found out why this prim and delicate little
lady did not fit in with any of my friend's play groups.  She wanted to be
the dominant jill and it did not take her long at all to establish herself
as Alpha jill.  Even though she was spayed (probably from Path Valley), by
that evening she had arrived and conquered.  She definitely had a way about
her.  There were no further plans to place her.  She had come home.
 
From that day forward, Princess Tiger Lilly maintained her status as top
jill.  Oh yeah, the unholy whole ladies constantly under hormonal attacks
will bicker with each other and the rank constantly shifts according to
maternal rank.  Jill spats usually do not cause any damage but they
certainly make a lot of noise and always let of their scent glands.  Just
one jill joining another in a sleep spot can set off a screaming fit.
Several of my girls will just open their mouths wide and let off shrieks
that sound like chalk on a blackboard.  "Cut it out" and "Damn it, stop
that" are probably my two most uttered comments in this house.  The other
is "Hey!" upon being out and returning to find everything from tables,
chests, etc.  on the floor.  The guilty one(s) always run, the others come
to me.  I am certain my ferrets think I have magic to unerringly pick out
culprits!  But I digress.
 
The very first thing Tiger Lilly would do when a new kit or kept kit would
join the group was to dominate the newby.  Two minutes here and Tiger Lilly
was dragging the new one around -- even when they were bigger than she
which often was the case.  She rarely had to do it twice, all bowed to her.
Every single ferret in my large menage over the years fell into line under
Her Grace, The Princess Tiger Lilly, as she came to be known - ruler of all
she surveyed.
 
She was the first to get the raisins and loved them more than any ferret I
have known aside from Pepper.  However, both she and Pepper disdained and
refrained from eating fowl or meat.  Both would curl their lips in disgust.
Tiger Lilly would have been a vegetarian I am certain had I allowed it.
Some may remember the carrot eating incident a couple of years ago when she
ate a carrot stick which resulted in surgery and hemmhoragic pancreatitis
plus a blockage.
 
She was never, ever out of coat.  Don't know how she managed it but her
coat was always long, soft and shiny with only slight seasonal variance.
 
She had so much personality that she was one of my most beloved ferrets.
And she could let her "fur" down on occasion, indeed, on many an occasion
to play.  She played with the other ferrets, especially her best buddies.
She enjoyed romps with kits.  She enjoyed digging out my house plants and
was one of the few ferrets who could get behind a glass fire screen - here
and at a friend's house.  She could also flatten her petite body and slip
under doors!  This caused a panic not long ago when she got under the door
of a locked closet in my son's former bedroom (now a ferret room, office,
ferret supply storage & general mess room).  I could not find the key, but
Tiger Lilly slid on out when she was done exploring.  She could also escape
under the french doors in my room it took a while to find something that
would block this.  What a clever little devil she was.  She also loved to
hand play and a feather tease toy was a favorite.  Sometimes she would
totally lose her dignity to play with the toy on elastic that dangles from
a door knob (often replaced-a favorite toy of all).
 
When she needed me to do something for her, she would simply climb up and
perch on my chest.  A little hard to ignore.  Jussy does this too.  It was
then my task to figure out what she wanted.  And Tiger Silly as she was
sometimes called, always got what she wanted.  The Her Grace, The Princess
Tiger Lilly, ever the lady, always used the litter box!  Only ferret here
who had a 100 percent perfect rate, as far as I can remember.  Aside from
the ability to slip under doors, the only other bad habit she had was a
particular love for climbing up inside pants legs.  She and a lot of my
other ferrets - come to my house wearing sneakers and jeans and you are
done for!
 
Tiger Lilly had favorite places and best buddies to nap with but at night,
and especially on cold nights, she always slept with me.  She always got
the best spot too aside from Jussy and Bobette and.....so on.  On cold
nights it is hard for me to find room in my own bed.  Last week I actually
fell out of bed!  Guess in my sleep I kept moving toward the edge as
ferrets crowded.
 
I could write on and on about Tiger Lilly.  Some of you may recall her as
Her Grace, The Princess Tiger Lilly, who sometimes wrote very civil but
slightly superior letters always referring to herself as "we".  She was
quite sure she was a Royal.
 
[Combined 2 posts]
 
Yesterday, Monday, Dec.  14th, she was running across the room when
suddenly she made a strange gasp noise and fell limp.  I picked her up and
there was no respiration or heartbeat.  I don't know why I thought heart
attack and not choking....but I immediately started CPR.  I also
administered two medications by injection that are in my "Ferret Pharmacy"
as one vet calls it.  She came around and it sounded as if normal rythym
was restored for a few minutes and then she dropped into severe bradycardia
- slow heart.  The atrial contraction was strong but ventricular was not
there or heard as only fffhitt, ffhiit & an about every 6-7th beat slightly
stronger.  I guessed that she had a severe myocardial infarction or
coronary thrombosis a.k.a.  heart attack.  This is caused by blockage of
one of the coronary arteries by an embolism or thrombus (blood clot).  I
called her vet.
 
When I picked her up to travel, Tiger Lilly had another attack.  I
administered CPR again with no results and finally gave her a hard shake
crying "Come on Tiger - Breath!" She gasped and her heart started again -
second attack.  We headed to the vets at 75-80 miles an hour around the
beltway.
 
Once there, Tiger Lilly was under immediate assessment by her vet.
Unfortunately, she had a second degree blockage and was rapidly
deteriorating.  Vet Tech was surprised I was able to bring her back twice
from cardiac arrest.  I was too.  I think it was Tiger Lilly's strong will
to live.  I had tucked two ferrets who were to be seen anyway, Sparky &
Jussy, plus a lava pack in the carrier to keep her warm.  She was also
experiencing chills and temp was dropping.  Prognosis was extremely poor.
Too much damage.  All the vets there listened to her heart.  Slowest they
had ever heard on a conscious ferret - atrial beat and virtually absent
ventricular contraction.  Oh how I wish that heart medicine for pets was
like it is for humans.  So much can be done.....but.  In all my years of
being owned by ferrets - this year is the first time we have had heart
problems.  First, Black Magic, who is doing very well.  Now Tiger Lilly.
 
We decided to let her go.  To spare her from the pain of a final attack.  I
held her, cuddled her, and monitored her heart while her doctor and vet
tech checked the other two.  When it was time, she was given an injection
of a sedative and that was enough for her to quietly and with grace go to
her final sleep.  She was only 7 and except for the carrot incident, had
been very healthy.
 
This has been a hard year.  With loss of Honey Bun, Pepper, Rosie and now
my Princess Tiger Lilly.  Every few years people that have a fairly large
business of ferrets will go through this with their older ones.
 
Go with God my dearest Princess Tiger Lilly.  You will always be with me
and I will always hold you close because I carry you in my heart.  The
brightness that was you I will see every day of the rest of my life.
Welcome her Pepper, Honey Bun, Rosie and all my other dear ones who have
gone before.  My heart is very heavy with the weight of all I carry there.
But you will never truly be gone, my sweet Tiger, as long as memory lasts.
I love you my Princess Tiger Lilly, My little Tiger Silly.  Meg
[Posted in FML issue 2526]