SaraFerret,

I've sent you eight others over the last eight years ("Lance" Lancelot,
"Mery" Merlin, "Niki" Nikita, "Rat" Pirate,...). You've always taken
such good care of them, but I think you might have your work cut out
for you with Frost. Frost, an 4 lb. albino male, was helped over the
Rainbow Bridge today at 7 yrs. 9 mo., due to adrenal cancer and
congestive heart failure. He leaves behind his bonded friend Rhys,
other cagemates Ayla, Codo, and Mandie, and, in a separate cage, Holly
and Charlie (who thought Frost was a Tasmanian devil). Also, Reaganne,
a 17 lb. dark gray female cat, will be missing her playmate.

When curiosity killed the cat, it reincarnated as Frost. Yes, I know
ferrets get into everything; the little monsters are exceptional
opportunists. Still, Frost was special in that he would ponder the best
way to get into trouble. He never gave up on a project. Nothing could
distract him, when he was on a mission. Whether it was climbing to the
top of the cat tree and getting in the window to opening the sliding
closet doors, he could accomplish anything. Persistence, thy name is
Frost!

When he's not causing chaos, Frost is with Rhys. Wrestling, running
through tunnels, chasing cats and other ferrets -- those two were
constant companions. They were fabulous on leash too, as I written
often before; Frost was half my pair of guiding-eye ferrets. He and
Rhys would walk on my left side, just off the sidewalk, and cross in
front of me, when something appeared in our path. I could say "Let's
go home," and the boys would go straight to our apartment; even after
we switched to a new apartment, they picked up on the new "home" on
their first day out again. There's dozens of children in the apartment
complex, and Frost was their favorite. Who wouldn't love a ferret that
gives kisses like a dog?

Frost's favorite place to walk to was Lake Erie. He could walk half the
way without tiring, and 1/8 mile is good for a ferret. When we got down
to the beach, he and Rhys would dig in the sand and try to pounce on
the waves, never understand why they couldn't make the water hold
still. Frost even swam a bit. He would never stay still -- always off
doing something -- so the trips to the lake were just right for him.
You'd never guess his age by his constant feisty nature.

I don't know what else I can tell you. Frost was just Frost, and all
he was can't be put properly into words. He's a naughty old man with
enough smarts for more than a dozen ferrets, so watch out! He's named
after a warrior fae in the royal guard of Princess Meredith in the
Merry Gentry books by Laurell K. Hamilton. Rhys is named after another
fae warrior from that series, though Frost was higher ranking. It is
fitting that this ferret, named for the spirit of Jackie Frost, crossed
the Rainbow Bridge in winter.

Thank you Frost, you've helped me "grin and ferr-it" through so much
this last year.

With respect,
Lori in Ohio

Ferrets: Rhys, Ayla & Codo, Holly & Charlie, Mandie

Cats: Reaganne & Little Miss

Missing: Frost and too many others to count without my heart truly
breaking in two

[Posted in FML 6603]