This morning Prince Charming left his tired body and passed into spirit,
not long after he was diagnosed with a large internal mass.  He went
downhill very quickly these past couple of weeks, and I believe he went
to join his lifelong friend Ralph, who died at the end of October.
 
Prince Charming was a very gentle albino.  He had been bounced around
between several homes before I adopted him from the FACT (Connecticut)
shelter as a friend for Ralph.  I believe their bond goes back a very
long way, probably before this lifetime.
 
Thanks to the FML archives, I looked up events from his life that I had
forgotten.  For example, Prince Charming was a bouncer at the famous
on-line Ferret Wedding.  And then there was the time he spent about 12
hours in the walls of my friend's house in New York one Easter, while I
wandered the streets of Brooklyn, calling him with a squeaky toy.  This
definitely took several years off my life.
 
Prince Charming was a wonderful ferret ambassador at educational events
such as the Mass. Animal Control Officers' Academy ferret class; the Tufts
University Vet School Open House; and ferret awareness day at Petworld in
Natick, Mass.  He was also one of several ferrets who delighted a Brownie
troop at a pet awareness day in Marshfield, Mass.  He had infinite patience
and very good about being petted by numerous people.
 
He and Ralph used to conduct what I called the carrot wars, where they
would often squabble over whether the squeaky toy carrot belonged in the
kitchen cabinet or the bottom drawer.  Ralph would move it to one place,
and Prince Charming would then pick it up and move it to the other
location.  This would go on and on.  His favorite place to sleep was one
of the top drawers in the kitchen.  Yesterday I found Merlin curled up next
to Prince Charming's frail body, keeping him warm, and sweet little Petunia
stayed with him last night.
 
I am not surprised that he died so soon after Ralph's passing.  I am sure
they are reunited and playing together once again.
 
Prince Charming leaves behind his fellow FLO unit members Harry, Merlin,
Roxanne, Petunia, Epcot and Clover as well as his 6 feline cousins, Lily
the dog, and his grieving mom.  We will miss you, gentle spirit.
 
 --Ronnie in Mass.
[Posted in FML issue 2912]