I took great pleasure in writing my check for the FML 5000.  The FML has
helped me enormously.
 
I had a boyfriend, years ago, who had a ferret whom I helped paper train
and I loved her A LOT.  I took care of her when his house got infested
with fleas and she couldn't live there anymore.  I wish I had the help
from the FML back then.  He had gotten her from a friend who could no
longer care for her.  She got sick really quickly around age 4 and when
we got her to the vet, there was nothing they could do.  The problem was
so far gone that she went to the bridge about 2 hours after we got her
to the vet.  I had never seen my ex cry like that in my whole life.  I
cried like a baby too.  There was a certain emptiness I felt although
she was only with us for a short time.
 
In January 2004 I started dating a man who loved animals (thank heavens,
because the dog fell in love with him immediately!).  In April 2004, we
got Fattie and Pearl.  I fell instantly in love with Fattie and Eric
insisted that Fattie needed some companionship.  We brought them home
together.  I knew nothing about ferrets except how to potty train them.
I went to Petco.com and downloaded every single care sheet on ferrets I
could find and read them 3 times.  I made Eric read them too.  We got
the girls to the point that they knew that if they used the litter box,
they would be allowed out to play.  We would play with them, tickle them,
wrestle with them for about 15 minutes and then put them back in the
cage.  Whoever used the litter box again got to come back out.  It
worked like a charm.  Before we knew it, they were unsupervised in a
ferret-proof room going back to the litter box when needed.  These were
good girls.
 
I ran into my property manager at my apartment community in a local pet
store while I was playing with the ferrets.  He came right over to say
hello and told me how he loved these little ferrets and how he had 8 of
his own at home.  We formed an immediate bond.  He hooked me up with all
these ferret websites that would give me all the info I could ever ask
for as well as the FML and I subscribed immediately.  THANKS TOM!!!!
 
Then, just before Christmas, Eric and I were in the local pet store
visiting and playing with the ferrets like we always do, and there she
was.  This beautiful sable ferret who hadn't quite gotten her mask yet.
She had white eyebrows and a stubby tail.  I fell immediately in love.
She was so tiny and so sweet, we took her home immediately.  She had
already learned how to use the litter box, by some small miracle, and
she gave A LOT of kisses!  The girls got along very well right from the
start.  Fattie became very close with little Onyx, cuddling her during
nap times, romping together during play times.  Pearl took longer to
warm up but now we frequently find a pile o' ferrets in the hammy and
during playtime Pearl is the one war-dancing with Onyx.
 
We have had our hearts filled by these little bundles of love and quite
frequently are amazed at how intelligent they are and how much they crack
us up.
 
I have frequently sought help with health issues on the FML and, quite
frankly, I don't know where else I could have gotten all that info.  I
have learned how to sew ferret bedding so that my girls would always have
a nice matched set (talk about spoiled) and also to donate to various
shelters.  None of this would have been possible if I hadn't found out
about the FML.
 
Thank you Bill Gruber for your tireless efforts to keep all of us
fuzzy-lovers in touch.  Thank you to all those who have taken in lost,
unwanted or sick fuzzies.  Thank you to all those who have sent replies
to my postings.  Thank you to all those who have purchased the bedding
I made.  Thank you to all the people who have campaigned for changes in
how and when ferrets are shipped and those who have campaigned the state
governments to pass laws regarding this.  Thank you to everyone who has
donated money to the FML 5000.  And finally, thank you to Tom, who is
always so helpful and was kind enough to steer me towards a wealth of
ferret knowledge.  I am forever grateful.
 
-Michele
Owned by 3 fuzzy thieves... Jewels (aka Fattie), Pearl, and Onyx (the
spokesferret) and Mandy, the rescue dog
[Posted in FML issue 4972]