My first ferret, the late, lamented Asher, was deaf.  She was a beautiful
blaze mitt, petite as they come.  And to use a pre-political correctness
phrase, she was from all appearances deaf as a post.
 
Strange, though...I am a fiddler, and she used to love to climb up on my
shirt and stick her nose down almost on the bridge, right next to the sound
holes, when I would play.  My guess is that like some deaf people can enjoy
the vibrations at concerts (I have seen deaf Deadheads at shows), perhaps
she enjoyed what she "heard" from my fiddle.
 
Also, regarding deaf fuzzies having more advanced other senses, I truly
believe Asher had better eyesight that other ferrets I've seen.
 
Asher crossed the Rainbow Bridge at the cusp of summer and fall, suddenly,
unexplainedly, at one year of age. She was very special to all of us, and
her "handicap" helped make her special.
 
Mike Jarboe (patriarch)
Jed, Zac, Shennie (teenage serfs)
Filiberto (our sole fuzzy)
And verdammte Katzen, Sierra und Degan
(Missing Asher)
[Posted in FML issue 1757]