I'd like to say thanks to the people that provided me with information
on ferrets and children, and ferrets and cats. I've forwarded the
details to my colleague.

>From: Shirley Larsen
>This is just my take. I think that by letting a little girl get a
>ferret when there is a cat in the house who does not tolerate other
>pets, you are teaching her a that it is OK to ignore one pet for
>another when the new one is more interesting.

That is certainly one point of view and a valid one. In my opinion, an
equally valid point of view is that you are teaching the child about
compromises and finding ways to make difficult situations work.

I had suggested to my colleague that there could be one room in the
house that was the "ferret's room" which would be the space that the
ferret could have free roam, and the cat would not be allowed in that
space. Many ferret owners have similar situations with ferrets that
don't get along with each other; they need to make sure all animals
under their care are happy, or at least not miserable all the time.

For many reasons (cat, ferret-proofing a house, who cares for the
pet...), this particular family may not get a ferret at this time, but
at least they now have information that will help them if they decide
to get one at some point.

Inez 

[Posted in FML 7925]