On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, DJTuvell wrote to the FML:
>Does anyone out there (maybe you Californians) have any advice on how to
>best live undercover with ferrets in an anti-ferret place?  This is all
>new to me.
 
Before ferrets were legal in MA, our household code-word was "Pixies", which
also happens to be the name of a legendary Bay State band.  (Francine, our
bossy, chubby uberferret, is named for the bossy, chubby frontman of the
Pixies.)  People overhearing our conversations about pixies falling asleep
in the drawers or stealing car keys probably thought we had a rich fantasy
life.
 
We also called them cats, or civet cats.  Or civil cats.  I'm known to be
allergic to cats, so we'd say they were a breed with a special kind of fur
that shed all at once.  People would accept that very readily as the reason
that they didn't look like normal felines.  Whatever you call them, just be
very matter-of-fact about it.
 
As far as being discrete with mail: does someone sort your mail to your
mailbox after the post office delivers it to the complex?  If not, believe
me, the post office doesn't care.  If so, the undergraduate who sorts the
mail probably won't care either.
 
Beyond talking about them in pseudonyms, in this housing situation, you need
to make them invisible, scent-free, and silent.  Keep the cage clean and the
litterboxes clear, wash their bedding religiously, keep them from damaging
the carpet by peeing or digging, prevent them from making digging noises
above the neighbor's bedroom, make sure they can't tunnel through the walls,
and don't let them have free roam of the apartment where an open door can
lead to disaster.
 
-- Lee
[Posted in FML issue 2273]