Re carpet diggers:
 
I use chicken wire, hammered into the carpet with U nails.  A 5 inch
by 30 inch strip near the door doesn't look too bad, and certainly
seems to deter and prevent damage.  Mine don't even try to dig any
more.  Thanks to friends for this suggestion.
 
Re f-spot:
 
I didn't see this posted, so, try rubbing the backs of the thighs
from the foot to the base of the leg (all along the fibula and femur).
Dors and Seldon splay their toes massively when you do this,
especially if they were sort of asleep.
 
Re floor licking:
 
I'm a bit paranoid about germs and stuff (especially after recently
reading about bacterial, viral, parasitic, and mycotic diseases in
Fox's Biology and Diseases of the Ferret), so I'm antsy about licking
much stuff off the floor, especially in the bathroom, where I keep the
furries' food dishes as well as litter box.  Every so often I alcohol
the floor (hopefully not creating any resistant strains -- I wouldn't
know).  Fortunately, mine don't spew too much food all over, and at
least half the time eat right out of the dish.
 
Todd Cromwell
Dors (who dances the Sevillianis), Seldon (still El Cazador de Sueno)
[Posted in FML issue 0998]