The first time my wife and I laid eyes on Nibbles, he took our hearts.
Always dancing around trying his best to entertain us.  He must have known it
from the start, we we're his to keep.  After getting home and ferret-proofing
the whole place, Nibbles had a run of the house.  At first, Bluey (The Cat)
didn't care too much for Nibbles, but soon grew to tolerate him.  ("What
does he think he's doing?  Don't you know how to cover up when your done in
the box?" - Bluey).  Nibbles definitely knew how to nibble and run.
Although he wasn't much for ankles, ("Yuck, too hard" - Nibbles), he loved
to try and catch your fingers, ("I bet I catch those things" - Nibbles).
About 4 months after that, FerretMath struck, we added another two.
 
Speedy reminded us of the old Speedy Gonzales cartoon, the super quick mouse
that no one could catch.  The only time he stopped was to look at something,
eat and sleep.  Tom tended to be a little more on the 'relaxed' side.
Always wanting to be held.  Once Nibbles and Speedy got together, they we're
just like to little boys, off to cause mischief.
 
When the 'big move' came, everyone was excited.  Our 1 1/2 hour journey from
Virginia to Maryland went pretty smoothly.  Unfortunately we had moved from
a two-story duplex to a two bedroom apartment.
 
"Hey, what gives?  Where did the rest of the house go?" - Nibbles
"Doesn't matter, I can still catch you" - Speedy
"Hmmm, nice view from 3 floors up (yawn)" - Tom
 
Here, my sister-in-laws cat, Pebbles (more like a boulder) joined our
household.  ("Hey, what are these little jumpy things, leave my tail
alone!" - Pebbles).  While living here, our ferrets had to be placed in a
cage when we weren't home.
 
"I told you leave the little box with buttons alone!  I bet you told mom
and dad about the plant, didn't you." - Speedy
"Hmmm, I wonder how much our bail is?" - Nibbles
"I thought the slammer was supposed to be cold and uncomfortable
(yawn)." - Tom
 
The summer heat wave came crashing in.  Temperatures reached to at least 98
degrees.  For some reason, our air conditioner didn't want to cool the place
any.  Call maintenance!  They come while we were at work.  Cause: "Your up
on the 3rd floor and all the heat rises." Not good enough.   Call again.
"We're having a A/C person coming to check on it."  But by this time, not
even cool air is coming in.  All vents were closed except in one room where
the cats and ferts were.  Unfortunately the heat was too much.  The temp on
the A/C control was well over 110.  Overnight, after trying to cool them off
and keep them that way, they made the journey to Rainbow Bridge.
 
The three little guys made such an impact on everyone (cats included).
Bluey and Pebbles kept going over to the cage, placing a paw up on the
screen, waiting for something to happen.
 
"Come on guys, say something" - Bluey
"Here's my tail please take it" - Pebbles
 
This will be the last rent check they are going to receive from us.  I'm
sure if it we're their apartment, something would get fixed in a hurry!!!
 
Nibbles, Speedy, Tom --- You we're loved by all who knew you here.
Please take care of each other until we can meet again.
 
Pat, Pam, Bluey and Pebbles
"Nothing's better than the love of a ferret"
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1986]