I just read "ferret lover's" reply to Bill Killian's post about whether
ferrets are harder to care for than other pets.  I rarely get to read the
FML anymore, so I haven't read any other conversation thread up to that
reply.  In running a shelter that question has been asked to me many times
and I have strong feelings on the subject.
 
Ferrets are not harder to care for than other pets.  There are 44 ferrets
here and 12 cats.  Yep, more poo and cage cleanings come from the ferrets,
but duhh, it's a shelter.  So putting that aside, my cats do a hell of a
lot more destruction and damage to my place than the ferrets do.  Cat
"presents" are not fun and never go away, ferret "presents" aren't so bad
as long as you pick them up as quickly as you would a cat present.  I
come home to a different surprise every day from my cats.  The mail is
scattered all over the dining room floor.  The stuffed animals on the
entertainment center are all over the living room.  The paper towels that
were once nicely on the roll are now all over the place, of course
shredded into tiny bits.  I can go on - they are a pain.  (I do adore my
cats, don't get me wrong - they give me the one thing that the ferrets
don't, a cute purring beast to watch TV with or a warm body to sleep next
to me in the winter.)  But cats still can be a pain.
 
What I DO make a point to tell people is that while they are not HARD to
care for, they have specific needs that cats (or dogs) don't have if
you're lucky.  You can get away with very little in vet expense from cats
and dogs - I've been fortunate, other than routine stuff, my 12 cats have
not been to the vet for an illness or emergency in the 7 years since I got
the first of the 12 cats.  They've been spayed/neutered/vaccinated, but
that's been it.  Ferrets are so fragile that you have to be prepared to
take them to the vet if they get sick, especially for "newbies" in ferret
ownership.  And while I hate that it's true, most ferrets do require some
surgery or other major treatment sometime in their lives.  So before
someone comes to adopt, I make darn sure that they are aware of this fact
before they take one or more home.  Too many ferrets over the age of 4
come into my shelter because they're sick and the owner doesnt' want to
deal with a pet that's "easy" and "cheap" to care for.  It's when they get
older that they're not "low maintenance" anymore, and I'm tired of people
surrendering them at this point.
 
So are ferrets harder or easier to care for than other pets?  Neither.  In
agreement with "ferret lover", ALL pets that are well-cared for require
work.  Be preapred for anything to come along and you will be a good pet
owner, no matter what.
 
Kymberlie Barone
Director
Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association of Montgomery County
http://www.ferretrescue.com
[Posted in FML issue 2859]