In the past 2 weeks I've said goodbye to three of my older ferrets.
Stellina and Millie went together on Oct. 5, and Epcot left on October 16.
 
Millie was the sweetest, tiniest little girl ever!  She and her friend
Molly (also very sweet and mellow) came to me from Randy Belair and the
Ferret Aid Society in Toronto at the Ferrets 2000 Symposium.  Millie
and Molly lived happily as part of a group that also included Vivaldi,
Stellina and Lunessa; Molly died in 2002.  Both Millie and Molly were
very good natured, easy going, loving ferrets.
 
Stellina also came to me in the autumn of 2000.  She had been badly
abused, and she formed an immediate bond with Lunessa, who had also been
abused.  Stellina and Lunessa had the same intense, fun loving and bitey
personalities and they were inseparable.  When Lunessa died, I wasn't
sure that Stellina would survive the loss.  But Milllie and Vivaldi
immediately came to her rescue, cuddling with her the first night.
After that, Stellina bonded with Millie.
 
Millie gradually got a little older and a little more frail from her
insulinoma and adrenal disease.  But Stellina's decline was more
dramatic, from both insulinoma and lymphoma.  I always thought of Millie
as a frail little old lady, but she held her own until Stellina started
to go downhill.  When Stellina got worse, Millie stopped eating and also
went downhill quickly.  The two of them were euthanized together, and
there is no doubt in my mind that Millie held on so Stellina wouldn't
have to leave by herself.  Millie was Stellina's angel.  I know they
crossed over together, and they are reunited with their soulmates Molly
and Lunessa.
 
Epcot came to me at the very first FML get-together at DisneyWorld in
January 1998.  He was part of the Arcadia rescue, a wonderful cooperative
effort by people from all over Florida
(http://www.miamiferret.org/safe.htm).  Like the other Arcadia ferrets,
he was stocky with short little legs (he never could do stairs).  His
first night with me was spent as a stowaway at DisneyWorld; and since
he looked like a little round ball I named him Epcot.  He was the last
surviving member of a large group of my ferrets that included Ralph,
Harry, Prince Charming, Merlin, Roxanne and Petunia.  Aside from some
breathing problems, Epcot was amazingly healthy most of his life; he was
at least 8 when he died from lymphoma.  When Epcot was euthanized, I
could feel the celebration on the other side as his surprised friends
greeted him enthusiastically!
 
So, goodbye Epcot, Stellina and Millie; many memories are buried with
you, along with lots of plants and spring bulbs.  You will always have a
very special place in my heart, and I know next spring that part of my
yard will be filled with flowers.
[Posted in FML issue 4672]