Hi Folks!
 
Well, after several weeks, and three failed attempts on the part of
Nietzsche's former owner to make it to Lincoln with him, I finally drove to
Fremont last night and picked him up.  (Neat's former owner had maintained
that since he comes to Lincoln often for work, he would be able to deliver
Neat to me, but after three tries, with me sitting at home waiting, and him
never showing up or calling, I gave up on that idea, and since my car was
recently fixed, the hour drive to Fremont seemed like the best option.)
 
In case you don't already know, this is the little boy who was posted about
a month ago or so.  Then, I posted several weeks ago to let you all know he
had found a new home, that being mine.  Yes, it has taken this long for him
to finally join me, and once I saw his condition, I kicked myself for
waiting that long.  What I thought would be an adoption turned out to be a
rescue.
 
Nietzsche is a Marshall Farms albino boy, whom his former owner believes to
be approx.  two years old.  He was allegedly giving Neat up because he no
longer had time to play with him.  I found out after arriving, that he had
also moved to a no-pets apartment a month ago and had left Nietzsche in his
old apartment with his "roommate" until he could find Neat a new home.
This apartment turned out to be a couple rooms in the back of a body shop
or something.
 
Neat was rarely let out of his cage, though fortunately, his cage was quite
roomy.  (That came with me as well.) He was filthy, grimy, gross.  He was
so dingy, his fur was approx.  the color of your average grey/taupe
computer box.  He was wearing a collar which was so tight I couldn't unclip
it without hurting him, so had to cut it off.  There is no fur under his
collar.  His nails were very long, and several were broken.  His ears were
gross.  Miraculously he has no parasites.  He was skin and bones.
 
The hour ride home was pleasant.  Nietzsche sat quietly in my lap, licking
the occasional Furo-vite from my finger and enjoying my constant scritching
on his neck where his collar had been.  (A place where he hadn't gotten a
good scratch in a LONG time.) Upon arriving at home, he got a good bath,
his tail got Stridexed, his nails were clipped and his ears were cleaned.
He looks much better now.  I got the opportunity to chek his stool (a
dubious honor) prior to bringing him inside my home, and that also looked
quite normal.
 
I know I should have quarantined him, but I do lack the space, and I made
it a point to look him over closely for parasites, etc.  All of my kids
need a vet visit soon for vaccinations, and I think I will bump it up to
this week to get Nietzsche a good looking over.  He is heartbreakingly
timid, and spent the first hour after being cleaned up licking from the
water bottle.  I feed my guys Totally Ferret, but he was getting Ferret
Diet.  I put a bowl of each on the floor, and he went straight to the
Totally Ferret.  What a relief.  We will have him fattened up and happy
very soon. :-)
 
So that is how I spent my Monday night.
[Posted in FML issue 3342]