Hello All!
 
Just thought I would share some great news that I got yesterday for my
shelter.  About a week ago I sent a letter to the local Iams factory asking
about their food that never makes it to the store shelves because it is not
up to specs.  My uncle works part-time at the factory, and through him I
learned that any food that does not meet the package label percentages 100%
does not get sold.  What they do with it is to either reprocess it, or sell
it at a greatly reduced price to the humane society.  It is not off alot,
just enough that it does not meet the package guidelines.  Yesterday I
received a call from the factory saying that they had 4 tons of Iams kitten
food that was not sellable, and would I be interested in it.  Uh, lemme
think a sec yes!  I told them that 4 tons was a little much, but 1 ton would
do me just fine.  So they donated, yes, donated, one ton (that is 100 20lb
bags) of Iams kitten food to my shelter.  It is fresh from the factory, so
it is good for at least a year.  WOW!  The specs on this particular batch
is: protein - 33 1/2%, fat - 22%, fiber - 3%, moisture - 10%, ash - 5 to 7%.
The only reason that I can think for this not meeting specs is the 33 1/2%
protein, where the bag says not less that 34%.  All of the ingredients are
in proper amounts.  They just saved me several hundred dollars over the next
year in food costs!  I am still reeling in shock.  For any other shelters
out there who feed their ferrets Iams kitten food, it is worth a try to
contact your local Iams factory and see what their policies are.
 
Also, I would just like to send a public thank you to all of you who wrote
to me regarding sleeping with their ferrets.  Thanks to your letters, I did
finally manage to convice my husband to let them sleep with us.  He still
worries about rolling over on them, but so far, no one has climbed into bed
with us, so he has nothing to worry about.  Although he is not too happy
about being woken up in the middle of the night by ferrets that want to
play!  :>
 
Dooks and kisses to all,
Shelley Knudsen
Legion of Superferrets Ferret Shelter
Hastings, Nebraska
[Posted in FML issue 1699]