Sukie said:
 
>(A vet once said us that cats live in the past enough that they remember
>and resent animal hospitals, dogs live enough in the present enough that
>you get forgiven, and ferrets are so busy looking forward to whatever
>comes next that they don't worry much.)
 
This statement is interesting in and of itself because I probably would
have agreed with it before I got my first ferret.
 
Like Sukie I have been fortunate enough to have been exposed to many
different animals from the day I was born.  I had a mother who is an exreme
animal lover.  We had everything from raccoons to dogs to a peacock to cats
to horses.  Yet the only other animal that has grabbed me like my ferrets
have was my horse and that was long ago.
 
Footsie worries all the time.  She worries when I leave, she worries if
there is not enough food in her dishes, she worries if I move the
furniture.  She worries.  She is a very serious ferret most of the time and
you see her concerned behaviours and expressions.  I think she concerns
herself with the here and now alot.  I think Oakley tends to remember his
past and Lance is the only one who looks toward the future.  Then again,
that is what makes them so interesting as Sukie said...their varied and
wide ranging personalities.
 
I think the thing that intrigues me the most about them though is the way
in which they will work a problem until it is solved.  For example, how
does Lance (who is not the brightest light in the tunnel but makes up for
it in sweetness) figure out he can climb the back of the fridge in order to
get onto the counter and then climb the microwave and get on top of the
fridge to knock everything off?  Knocking stuff off is one of Lances
favorite things to do.  What day and how long did it take for Footsie to
figure out she could push the toilet seat lid down herself and jump up onto
it in order to get onto the counter in the washroom where all the ferret
treats and other goodies are kept?
 
Noone showed them how to do this.  So how did they figure it out?  The list
goes on and on and they continually come up with new surprises for me.
Everytime I think the house is ferret proofed I get a display of exactly
what a stupid human I really am.  So out of everything, I find this side of
their personalities the most intriguing.  I have also watched them team up
in order to distract my roomate and get his popcorn.  Footsie and Oakley
did this.  I laughed so hard watching it all I could not speak to alert him
to the fact that the little theives were stealing as much popcorn as they
could as fast as they could.
 
Footsie loves to dive in the toilet as the water is being flushed and dig
it out.  (she is only allowed when they are clean and disinfected by the
way)  I see her making the the connection between the handle being pushed
and the toilet flushing.  Am I one day going to hear it flush only to find
out Footsie has figured out a way to do it herself?  I am certain, if there
is a way, that day will come.
 
I love their mischief (even if I do want to strangle them sometimes!) I
love their sense of adventure.  I love their curiosity.  They all have it
to varying levels.  Most of all, I love how much my life changes and offers
surprises since they have been in it.
[Posted in FML issue 2648]