Ever just have to tell something to someone who will be understanding about
it, or you will explode?  My family and I have a 'roommate', which is a
fancy way of saying that my husband's unemployed best friend has been
schmoozing off of us for the past five months.  Well, I just found out
that he's been letting the ferrets out of their cages (unsupervised!) every
day while we are at work.  He does NOT believe in ferret-proofing first
("they're animals-- they're smart enough not to do something that is going
to hurt them").  To make it worse, I found out in conversation (purely by
accident-- he certainly didn't think it was important enough to let me
know earlier) that yesterday he let Flower loose around him while he was
cleaning, and he let her get covered in a Pine-Sol/water solution.  My
heart stopped for a moment.  "Did you wash her off?" I asked, pretty
rhetorically because I fully expected a "Yes" answer (it's only common
sense that when an animal gets coated in a poisonous substance, you wash it
off immediately, right?).  But, when the answer came, it was a VERY casual
"No," as though it was the stupidest question in the world for me to ask.
I waited a moment, like I was expecting the punchline to a joke, and when
none came I said "You're kidding, right?  I mean, you DID wash her off,
didn't you?" He looked at me like I was completely insane and said "Hell,
no.  I'm not in the ferret-washing business." Now, granted, this guy and I
butt heads often over a number of topics (you see why he can't hold a job?
it ain't because of his charming personality, I'll tell ya), but this was
completely over the line.  I told him what I thought, too.  But the bottom
line is, without the support of my husband on this, it'll go in one ear and
out the other.
 
When I talked to my husband after (when I could speak again, I mean), I
asked (in such a calm manner that I'm rather proud of it), "So... don't you
think that when one of our animals gets covered in a poison substance such
as Pine-sol, he should have washed her off?"
 
I got the most wishy-washy reply imagineable.  "I don't know... I guess it
depends on how much she got on her?  I wasn't there so I really couldn't
say..."   !!!!!!@$%?&l*****!!!!!!!!
 
Just so you know, Flower is apparently none the worse for wear for her
experience.  I went over and checked on her right away, of course, but
she seems fine, and her eating and drinking and poopies are fine, and she
hasn't been licking a lot or anything.
 
But I just had to vent to someone.
 
Vickie & Flower (the most ferretiest of ferrets) & Pandora (the Ultimate
Ferret who has regained her rightful place in the heirarchy around our
house) & Diva (the most kissingest, cuddliest, and sleepiest of all
ferrets) & Tank (who somehow has been managing to squeeze into my kitchen
drawers when all the rest can't- despite the child-proof locks on them) &
Moogie (who's suddenly developed a foot-nibbling habit he's never before
exhibited-- and has been wardancing all over the house-- quite frisky for
a ferret we've been expecting to die most any day for weeks now).
[Posted in FML issue 2561]