First, before I write anything else, my condolences to all who have lost
their kids or have ill ones.  I know how you feel.
 
Kit came to us a little over 5 years ago.  She was our 2nd ferret, Socks
being the first.  Our 'foundations' for the future Crew of Merry Mayhem.
My daughter and I found her in a feed/pet store, she had to be about 5
weeks old, so dark sable she was almost black.  Got her, drove home, Sara
kept saying Larry was going to have a fit.  I said watch this, walked in,
put her in the palm of his hand.  He looked at her and gave her her name,
and it was love at first sight for the both of them.
 
Kit was never ill, had a round of ringworm on her tail that I still will
never know where it came from.  She ruled the roost, the Empress of the
Crew.  When she felt there was enough, she shut the group down, and any
other ferret that got near them she took them on, all 1 1/2 pounds of
her.  She loved the cats, loved to chase them.  When Suzy was leaving us
with her lymphosarcoma, Kit said good bye to her so regally.
 
2 1/2 weeks ago she suddenly lost all her motor skills, she couldn't
stand, couldn't walk one day.  Then there was last Friday, when her
balance was gone, and she pulled herself across the room.  I got on
the phone to the vet immediately and we put her on pedia pred for the
weekend.  That Monday evening she went in, and during the time I was at
work she'd dehydrated.  So we did sub q's, vet tried to get her to walk.
Tuesday she went back in for blood work and examination.  We've sent her
blood to Cornell, because I can't be sure there wasn't a mosquito in our
house.  Where we live West Nile virus has been rampant, and I wanted to
cover all bases.  We had Cornell run an ADV test, but the results were
inconclusive, there were things 'blocking' the reading.  The vet said it
had something to do with her kidneys.  We finally got her to walk a
little and he got a video of this.  Imagine the caricature of a Halloween
cat, with it's back highly arched, and you have her.  We also took xrays,
and she had what looked like a herniated disk.  So she started staying
in a one level cage away from her group, just so no one would trod on
her.  She'd greedily drink her chicken gravy, but I had to force water.
Suddenly she was able to walk, but her right hind and left front legs
wouldn't coordinate.  Then the next day we were down again.  This all
went on till Wednesday, and she suddenly lost the total use of her right
leg.  It literally curled up under her, and she got slightly lethargic.
As she'd pull herself the right leg drug.  So I did a lot of hydrotherapy
on her, worked her legs.  Friday when I got to her after work her
hindquarters were totally paralyzed, breathing labored and the sound of
water in her nose.  I knew it was over then, and called our vet.  He
couldn't get there in time, so he had us take her to the emergency
clinic.  The vet couldn't find a vein, wanted to do a heart stick.  He
couldn't locate her heart and I made him stop.  He wanted to ultra sound
her to find it, and I said just put her under, as though she's going to
surgery, then give her an abdominal injection.  We wound up doing a chest
injection, and they let me stay with her, hold the cup with the gas so
she felt no discomfort.  My husband had to drive me there, and he was so
torn up he couldn't hold her, could barely tell her good bye.  When it
came time for her to go to the Bridge Larry had to leave the room, and he
was in tears.  I was able to talk to her the whole time, tell her Socks,
Suzy, Nibbles, Bailey, Nelly, Jill and Jack were there waiting for her,
and I knew she could see them, because just before the vet got there, she
was watching something I couldn't see.  I know this was our angels from
the Bridge, come to escort her.  My index and middle fingers were under
her, and I could feel her heart beat the whole time.  I barely moved a
finger, and she was gone.  But I can honestly say that what I had them do
helped her to go so peacefully.  I took her down to Purdue to ADDL, just
in case there's a possibility that a mosquito got into the house, but Dr.
Williams doesn't think it was West Nile, but we're covering all bases.  I
will have her ashes back when all is done, and a royal purple pouch
awaits my girl, to join the others in the memory box.
 
Sandee, I know she's there already, but please make sure she got there
safely.  I know Socks and all the others will be over joyed that she's
with them, but tell her that her group, her dad and I are so sad that
she's not here with us.  She's a beautiful, petite dark sable with a
mask, and the Empress or so she thinks.  She was my Kit, my Kitalinka,
the 2nd ferret in my life.  She'd lay on the floor, roll over, and put
those tiny paws together and look at you.  She would sit and send the
others out to do mischief, you could see the smile on that face.  The
first time she ever ate chicken gravy I thought I'd fall over laughing.
She spit it across the room, shook her head, and then turned around and
looked at me with a look that could have killed me if possible.  So
offended!  But within three tries she discovered she really loved it, and
it became her favorite treat.  I'm so glad I have great pictures of her.
I wanted her to be able to enjoy the house with the others, to come
chuckling down the stairs with the rest, but it was not to be.  So tiny,
and the pain so strong from her passing that it's taken me all day to
write this.  Good bye my Kitling., you are so very missed.  All of you,
hug your little ones a little extra today.
 
Rebecca and the sorrowful Crew of Merry Mayhem
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy, and
 taste good with ketchup"
"Support bacteria, it's the only culture some people have"
[Posted in FML issue 3941]