I was in Kansas City most of the weekend on a holiday with Elizabeth and
Andrew, and had to drive home in nasty snowy weather.  I returned, took
about 5 hours of calls from the east coast, west coast and even from across
the big puddle.  Then I rescued a ferret through even more snow (see rescue
post), set the fella up in my patented "Isocage," rewound the Voyager tape
to see what I missed and rasseled the pack during most of the show.  I
finally found time to check my e-mail in the wee-hours.
 
I was overwelmed.  173 people had sent posts offerring their condolences
about Jet.  It touched me, and for someone already touched, thats something.
I can't even begin to say how much those posts mean to me.  Several people
remembered I mentioned that I make up books for each ferret, and one person
asked if I would post how I did it on the FML.
 
I actually end up making two books for each ferret.  The first book is one
of those blank notebooks you can buy in stationary or bookstores for a few
bucks.  I usually buy the cheapest one because they take a beating, and
because ultimately they will be replaced.  On the 1st page of the notebook,
I print the ferret's name, birthdate, and date I recieved the ferret into my
family.  Use a marker that is waterproof.  Trust me.
 
From this point on, I only use pens having waterproof ink, and I only make
entries on the right side page so I have space to make additions should I
forget something.  It also helps to read the entries later because sometimes
waterprook inks will soak through the paper, depending on the quality of the
book.  Always print the date for each entry you make.  The first few pages
are my general impressions of the new ferret.  I record anything that
strikes my fancy; funny things they did, how they get along with other
ferrets, that sort of thing.  I also record their weight, the results of my
medical checklist, how they are eating, what they are eating, what kinds of
treats they enjoy, etc.
 
The way I do it after that is to weekly record weights and medical data.
Once a month, I write a page of impressions, what they are doing, ferret
relations, etc.  I actually do 5 books a week, otherwise 19 at a time would
be too tiring or boring or too easy to skip.  This only takes about 10
minutes or so, so five books take me less than an hour.  Other than that,
the only other entries I make are the result of vet visits, shots, etc.  I
record if they go outside, or if they see strange/visiting ferrets.
Obviously, this is to help discover sources of future problems.
 
I find I use about 2 pages a month, so a book usually lasts the life of the
ferret.  Of course, the initial parts and the last parts, where I record the
events of death, are much longer, but for the most part, a month of weight
and health data takes a page, and the monthly impressions take a page.
Sometimes I have something I want to save, like the rabies tag, or some
photos.  What I do is to glue an envelope on a page so the open part faces
the middle of the book, and I just stuff the stuff in the envelope.  As my
ferrets get older, the book can bulge with lots of stuff in it, so I use a
velco strap to hold the book closed.
 
When the ferret dies, I record all I can recall about the death.  The tests,
the resluts of test, what kind of procedures were done, everything.  Then I
take the remains and wash them, and take a final set of photos.  Generally,
I place the ferret on a favorite blanket or pillow, and I place the ferret
in a sleeping position.  Finally, I ink the ferret's feet and stamp each one
on a sheet of the high quality paper I will use for the permanent record.
 
The second book is my permanet record for the ferret.  I start out by typing
out all entries from the first record book.  Then I put all the medical data
in one file, the weight data in another, and the notes in a third.  Then I
write up all the notes as a story line, such as, "No one knows for sure what
day it was, but sometime during the spring of 1990, Razz was born.  Her
early life is mostly a mystery, and I can't say where she went or who
looked after her.  All I know is that on her journey, someone removed her
fingernails and left her scarred and afraid of strange people and other
ferrets.  But two good friends, Foster and Buddy, helped to carry her load.
They took very good care of Razz, and played with her most gently...." I
tell the ferrets entire life, as well as I know it, as a story or adventure.
This doesn't have to be professional, just write it as if you were telling
it to your best friend.
 
Then I print the story out on cheap paper, leaving spaces for photos,
trinkets, rabies tags, etc., (to be added later).  As an appendix to the
story, I add medical data, weights, vet visits, and at the end, the cause of
death.  In my case, I donate the body to science (exactly as I have done
with myself, BTW), but you could include comments or even photos of whatever
funerary services that took place.  Once I get it looking like I want it too
look, I print it out on high quality paper, punch holes to fit a standard
3-ring binder, and put everything together.  I usually add things like a
locket of fur, or a photo of a favorite toy.  I usually get copies of the
ferret's health record from the vet, and add them as an appendix in the
back.
 
Most of the time I use a binder that is about 2 in. thick, but if you have
lots of ribbons or other stuff to add, the binder could be wider.  Finally,
the last thing I do is take a piece of high quality paper (I use glossy
white gift wrapping paper) and trim and fold it to make a dust cover for the
binder (hold it in place with spray glue), printing out appropriate labels
so I will know which ferret belongs to which book.
 
The time it takes me to do this is my personal time of mourning, which ends
with the completion of the book.  Going through the process of creating the
book is often difficult, but it focuses me on getting through the grief
process without getting stuck at any one stage.  But best of all, I have
something I can show to people, and say, "See my little Jet.  Wasn't she so
cute climbing the blinds?  See that bandaid?  She bit the end of my nose
when I first got her..."
 
Jet had a short life, but her book will be thick once I've added 173 letters
from FML people to the appendix.  You are all very gracious, and very caring.
Thank you for your support and friendship.
 
Bob C and 19 MO FurRatz (Missing Jet)
[Posted in FML issue 2242]