Most of us are used to having young ferrets, and their energy and
attitudes can be exhausting at times.  But I know that for me, as cute
and cuddly as young ferrets are, there is a special place in my heart for
the geriatric fuzzies.
 
The Oldsters, as I like to call them, are a more laid back crowd.  They
seem to take life at a slower pace and don't seem to rush doing anything
anymore.  Sure, they sleep more, and they walk slower, but they become
more cuddly as they age... wanting to be carried more often, wanting to be
held and petted every chance they get... and they seem to be more loving.
 
There are people I know who feel uncomfortable around older ferrets for
they feel that they are more susceptible to getting injured and more prone
to getting sick.  Thanks to advances in medicine, medical technology and
information, to the increase of availability of higher quality foods, and
to more published information on the care of ferrets in general, our
ferrets are living longer.
 
Working at a zoo has shown me that great care and great advancements have
one major downside... the increase of cancer.  In nature, animals that get
sick are picked off by the predators and so their life span is usually
much shorter in the wild.  Our homes have become the new environments and
ferrets are living progressively longer as each year passes.  It really
is good news but realistically, when must take the good with the bad.
 
Older ferrets get cancer.  Young ones do too but the likelihood of them
dying from them are slimmer as we find ways to treat the cancer with
radiation and chemotherapy.  Older ferrets do not have the same
regenerative powers as the youngsters do, and so palliative care is
usually the only recourse.
 
Shelters are in a difficult position... to keep running, they must have a
flow of money coming in, more than what goes out.  The only way to bring
money in beyond grand fundraising, is to adopt out as many ferrets as
possible.  Unfortunately, too many potential homes want younger ferrets,
and so, the older ones are left behind.
 
I do believe that as a group we need to raise awareness of the needs of
the geriatric ferrets and quash myths that surround them.  People should
not be afraid to adopt an older ferret... in fact, older ferrets are
usually better to handle than the younger ones.  People need to know that
older ferrets are good way to get to know them as a whole and that they
make much better impressions on first time ferret owners than younger
ones.  They don't seem to get into as much trouble as the youngsters do
and they certainly love to be around people more so than a busy one or
two year old can be.
 
Yes, older ferrets die sooner than a younger one... sometimes.  I adopted
a old gal at 8 years of age, and now she is approaching 11.  She will die
sooner than I want her to because she has a nasty form of cancer in her
mouth.  Yes, she needs special care, as will a younger ferret when he or
she gets old.  It will be as hard to lose her and any of my ferrets have
been.  Sickness comes at any age, but to give an old ferret a second
chance at living is where my heart is at.
 
Today I celebrate the old and the aged... may they have a wonderful and
fulfilling life, and get the second chance they so deserve in finding a
loving and caring home.  Won't you adopt one today?
 
betty and her blur o'fur
for the love of ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 3707]