Sammy and his cohort Socks were dumped at a feedstore in a tiny rusty
cage. I never had a ferret or even thought of getting one but I started
making excuses to go to the feed store just to see these two comics. On
my birthday my husband brought them home. He said that he was tired of
taking me to the feedstore several times a week. I had no idea what to
do with ferrets. I got the "Dummies" book. One passage jumped out at
me....it's better to have 3 ferrets than 2 in case one dies and the
other is lonely. I called the OR Ferret Shelter and along came Steve
and Ali (renamed Sallee Ali Little Pearl). Then I saw an ad about 2
ferrets to give away in Seattle near where my sons live so down came
Slinky and Shanara who had been in a WIRED SHUT cage for YEARS living
in LAYERS of poop. And so my love of ferrets and my rescue of them
began.

Sammy turned out to be the most intelligent ferret ever! All my 5
daughters are musical and each of them play several musical
instruments. One day while cleaning, I moved one of the guitars from
beside the piano to beside Sam's cage. He immediately reached his paws
through and pulled on the strings! WOW! I took him out of the cage,
hugged him and gave him a treat.......that's all he needed. Later that
evening when I walked into the livingroom, Sam was running around. I
asked my husband why he let him loose and he said "I couldn't hear the
TV with all that damn guitar music!". Sam has played the guitar ever
since. When I moved Sam and Socks into their Quality Cage I hung the
guitar on it. Every morning if I am so much as 1 minute late in
releasing them, Sam will strum the guitar until I come running. All my
ferrets can tell time but he is the only one with an "alarm clock". He
also strums it when he wants attention, a treat or a kiss. Many times
when I am on the phone, people have asked "Who is playing the guitar?"
or "What song is that?". It was Sam's song.

On Tuesday I overslept because there was no guitar music. I raced to
him, knew he was in trouble, called Chris Mathis at the OR Ferret
Shelter for moral support and then rushed my beloved Sam, the guitar
playing ferret, to the vet. Complications of adrenal disease claimed
his life. I held him and he lapped Ferretvite as he drifted off to the
Rainbow Bridge. I have no idea how old he was but he was with me for
nearly 6 years. His cohort Socks who unfortunately does not like any
other ferrets, does not understand his death. I left Sam's body in the
cage for a day and night so that Socks could see him. She kept pushing
on him with her paws telling him to come and curl up with her. She
cleaned his ears. She laid her head on top of him. She grieved. I held
her and we grieved together. Usually she is too busy to be held but
she wanted to be held for a very long time, letting out deep sighs as
I cried.

Yesterday I buried Sam on the edge of the woods near all the others who
have left for the Bridge before him.........Baby, K.C., Steve, Sallee
Ali Little Pearl (deaf), Kelly, Lacey (blind), Merc, Shockra, Max,
Flash who had been terribly abused, Charlie the reformed biter, Shanara
(in wired shut cage), Slinky (in wired shut cage), Stinker, another
biter, Starlight, neglected and abused, Stash, neglected and abused,
and Sweetheart, neglected and only with me for 2 weeks. All of them
rescues, shelter kids, blind, deaf, abused, neglected or medically
fragile. Sam really started something! He leaves behind Socks and 15
other ferret friends who will miss his guitar playing, as I certainly
will.

I am relatively new to this List but have read there is a Bridge
Greeter. Please help my Sam. He will be arriving wrapped in guitar
printed fleece, carrying a tiny wooden guitar. Hopefully there is a
real guitar at the Rainbow Bridge so that he can play his song.

Nancy, who can still hear Sam's song in her dreams.....

[Posted in FML 6257]