Just lost my Seymore yesterday.  He was 8 1/2 years old.  We had to put him
to sleep and I am so sad.  I spent most of yesterday crying and woke up for
an hour in the middle of the night and cried my self back to sleep.  My
heart is broken and It'll never be the same without him.  You see...
Seymore was my very first ferret.....he was the one that taught me how much
you can fall in love with ferrets to begin with and he is the reason I
started my shelter, since he came from someone who no longer wanted him and
mine was his fourth home.  He came to me in September of 1993 in PA when he
was 2 1/2.  He was so sweet and gentle.  He loved to climb up and into my
stackable baskets and steal, then hide all my hair scrunchies; he loved to
play tug of war with socks and drag about his mini soccer ball.  His
favorite trick was to steal my leather coin purse/keychain in the morning
right before I had to leave for work (mostly when I was late already) and
I'd have to hunt around and locate where he'd stashed it.  After about 5
months in PA I began working and decided he need a playmate for the long
days and sometimes nights (my husband was an intern and I often also worked
a 16 hour day) without us, so we went to our first AFA show and adopted and
brought home Slippers, our 9.5 year old albino.  Funny thing was we found
out the day we brought her home that it was Seymore's birthday.  They have
been together ever since and are best buddies.  I'm so afraid Slippers
won't live much longer without him.  Seymore became ill in 95' and though
he recovered, the vets never determined the cause of his illness that left
him with deteriorating vision and eventual blindness.  Two years ago he was
diagnosed with insulanoma which progressed quickly even with treatment.  I
swore he'd never make it to Christmas 97 and then Christmas 98 he was so
sick, but both came and he surprised me by persevering.  He had such a
strong will to live.  A few months ago he began going downhill fast and was
unable to make it to the litterbox anymore and then to urinate on his own.
As much as I refused to admit it, it was time to let him go.  I've been
fighting it for the past few months....trying everything.  He no longer had
that spark in his eye and it broke my heart to watch him try to walk and
continuously fall over time and time again.  He tried so hard.  I kept
hoping we'd get him strong enough to undergo surgery for the adrenal that
was surely causing not only his bladder problem, but putting pressure on
his spine which made his hind quarters weaker, but his kidneys failed and
there was nothing more we could do for him, so I held him in may arms
yesterday and we let him go into a deep sleep from which I know he'd awaken
in a much better place where he could not only walk, but run and climb and
hope....it'd been so long since he'd done those things.  God, I feel so
selfish for waiting so long, but I then I wonder if I did the right
thing...I didn't want to let him go....I even kept hoping he'd die
peacefully in his sleep so I'd not have to do this.  I feel so awful and
empty.  The funny thing is that I think Seymore told me what I did was OK
in his own way.  You see, the vet had a stethoscope on his chest listening
to his heartbeat and at the precise moment he died, the firewhistle in town
went off and all the dogs started to howl.  I found out later there was no
emergency and I believe Seymore was telling me "good-bye" and that he was
OK now and in a better place.  Don't they say every time a bell rings an
angel gets their wings?  I know Seymore got his.  I took him home last
night and we buried him in our ferret cemetery down on our hillside and
then planted a Cyclamen over his grave.  I will never forget Seymore for he
was my first and will always be there in my heart.  He was ambassador to
ferrets for so many people I meet over the years as well as a treat and
companion to the sick children at the hospital where I took him to visit
whenever we could.  I will miss him so very much!  I love you
Seymore....always and forever!!!!!!
[Posted in FML issue 2709]