To Pat Patterson wondering about the baby killed in Oregon by a ferret:
I recall the articles in our Seattle newspapers from about seven years ago.
The paper showed a photo of the outside of the house; it was a hovel, a
complete mess, and apparently like that inside also.  One theory was that
the ferret hadn't been fed in a long time, and was trying to lick milk from
the baby's bottle and face.  The parents claimed to be home sleeping, but
there was a question of whether they were home at all, or maybe zonked out
by drugs.  The baby had so many bites that it must have cried and cried;
what kind of parent would just sleep through that?  Anyway, the
circumstances were very suspicious.  The newspapers never did a follow-up,
so I don't know what happened with the case.
 
Arlyn Kerr
[Posted in FML issue 1152]