>becoming obvious that this Kozak jerk is someone you can't help but love
>to hate... kinda a negative spin on things if the FML resorts to that...
>If anything good can come out of it, let's work on making that happen. BIG]
 
I agree.  It is sooo easy to hate these people and to make lots of annoying
calls, send letters etc.  So much more difficult to understand why anyone
would ever do such a thing.
 
Dr Tom French of Mass Fish and Wildlife said a couple of weeks back that the
key thing that the ferret community could do would be to get the CDC to come
up with guidelines for such situations.  Most (all?) of the State Public
Health departments like to refer to them, and the one or two that I have
talked to are absolutely terrified of having a person contact rabies.  It
really does seem to be a 'hot button' word with them, and when they hear it
their brains just cease to function and they go into kill mode.  One
gentleman told me in person that HE was responsible for the health of the
ENTIRE STATE and just couldn't afford to take a chance.... I think that he
meant to his career <vbg>, but no matter since the result is the same.
 
At the moment, I am not completely sure of the CDC's position on this, or if
they even have anything written down.  The Health Departments of the various
states seem to be forming their own opinions based on the Kizer and
Constantine junk, and have attributed them to the CDC.  A lot is done by
'expert opinion' which in this case just seems to be uninformed.
 
Perhaps we could concentrate in this area, in providing funding to finish up
the remaining rabies studies, and getting some sort of national
recommendation for a more firmly stated and enlightened policy ???
 
Re: caging ferrets.  Our three have 24 hr free run of a two story house, but
also have some cubbies, some of them (such as under or in a kitchen drawer)
found by themselves, or built in by us so that they can find a safe place to
sleep.  We do have a cage (usually left open), with hammocks and soft
blankets, food, water, and a litterbox which we can put them in and close
the door if need be.  Mostly we do housework when they are asleep.
 
Occassionally we will have guest ferrets over for a week or weekend, and you
can really tell the difference if they spend a lot of time in a cage.
Muscle tone just isn't the same and ours really run the dickens out of them
till they get in shape.
 
Bill, Susie, Squeekers, Peaches, John Bear, and Jack the Cat who thinks like
a Ferret.  Framingham, Mass
 
        - Never underestimate the power of an entrenched
[Posted in FML issue 1599]
[Posted in FML issue 1599]