Here's a public answer for Robin's request for ferret terms ...in our
case "of endearment" :)

This is Susie Lee in, of and still for The Ferret & Dove Sanctuary,
Inc. Closed to any new intakes in part due to my husband and partner
Wes Hurley's health having debilitated under asbestosis and having
sufferred a stroke last November with loss of sight and weakness
resulting from it. (We will be closing our doors entirely as of
December 31st and any ferrets among our remaining 15 still unadopted
will kept as our own, which they seem to not mind a bit).

Anyway, we generally have very happy and contented little ferrety faces
around here. Whether a bonded group are out or a solitary lone-wolf
sort who swears in all kinds of dirty ferret-language that I'd prefer
not to translate that they'll kill any other ferret on sight (like Jade
Spritely or Sirius Choc-Mitt). One thing most of them do after the
first frantic runs-around is settle into either a kind of skippity-hop
or what looks like (i swear to Heaven!) a "Pepe Le Pew"-signature
bouncy-trot.

Now I dunno how many among you have ever watched old Loony Tunes
cartoons, I did because I was the eldest of 9 siblings and putting on
"the cartoons" was often the only way to quiet the "youngers"...There's
at least several versions where a skunk named Pepe Le Pew trots after a
striped-painted black cat with a bouncy little trot hopping forwards on
all four feet.

THAT's the "bouncy-trot" that some of our happyferrets do. The
"skippity-hop" is another rhythmic little trotting motion that suggests
it's the ferret-version of a child's skipping along. That' the
happy-motion that the rest of the ferrets do, all but the very-very
oldest who can't but are still contented to climb into the cats'
play-tunnel that flashes and lights up when someone's weight is
inside it. So the little lights flashing outside the so-called cats'
play-tunnel become the "last-hurrah dance" of the eldest, still
contented ferrets gently rolling and rocking back and forth, looking
up thru the center-viewing-port to see if we're noticing them, and
heaving their little dreamy sighs of utter playtime comfort. "King of
the tunnel" once more.

[Posted in FML 6775]