There have been a couple of Normans on the FML recently; this one was
Cinderella and Ralph's good buddy.  My thanks again to everyone who
sent Norman good wishes, and my sympathy to everyone else who has
recently lost a little fuzzbean--
 
As some of you know, my precious little Norman died a few days ago,
after several weeks of fighting off a bacterial infection.  Although
the infection won possession of his body, Norm's spirit is very much
alive and being nourished by the love of his wonderful human and
ferret friends.
 
Norm had a rough start in life, having been abused at a pet store.
Fortunately he was rescued and brought to the FACT shelter.  By the
time I adopted him, he had received lots of good care and was ready to
start a new life.  I had one ferret already, Cinderella (aka Princess
Anklebiter), and soon after getting Norm, I adopted Ralph.  Ralph and
Norman became good buddies, and I learned how much fun it is to have
two ferrets that really love each other.  Together they would run
through the house like lunatics, dooking and jumping on each other,
jumping on and off the bed and everywhere else, giving "double
trouble" a new meaning.  Although Cinderella didn't particularly like
Norm, I occasionally found all three of them sleeping together in a
cozy ferret pile.
 
Norm was extremely agile and adventuresome, getting into places that
Ralph and Cinderella had never thought of.  Norm taught them how to
climb through the drawers and onto the kitchen counter, how to pull
books out of bookshelves, and how to climb onto the plant table.  Norm
*loved* to dig in dirt and go through the trash, often pulling out
treasures and taking them into the bathtub.  He also enjoyed grabbing
a tennis ball with his front legs while scooting around backwards in
circles.
 
Although he didn't like it too much, Norm tolerated being picked up
and kissed all over.  He was a very sweet little creature who loved
raisins and dog biscuits. Norm enjoyed "going to summer camp" and
visiting his ferret buddies Squeekers, Peaches and Rocky, where he
also learned to stand up and beg. Norm even had an on-line ferret
romance with Lucky Charm(inator).
 
A few weeks ago, Norm developed a lump on his arm and under his armpit.
The bacterial infection spread rapidly and didn't respond very well
to a series of antibiotics (he was also taking vitamins and other
supplements). Norman had some days when he ate on his own and some
days when he needed to be fed by hand, gently licking the food from
my fingers. Sometimes he slept beside me on the bed, which he never
did when he was well. Ralph was very helpful in keeping up Norm's
spirits; he spent lots of time with his buddy, often sleeping next
to him and resting his head on Norm's tired body.  Cinderella also
visited Norm every day. I was very touched by how tender both of them
were with their sick friend.
 
For a while Norm seemed to be getting better, but then he went
downhill again.  A friend reminded me that people (and animals) often
show a period of increased vitality shortly before they die.  I
realized that, even though he was physically dying, Norman's spirit
was being healed.  Although he had initially been mistreated by
humans, Norm's life ended with a lot of love from people (and other
ferrets); some helped take care of him physically, others sent love
and healing from a distance.
 
One day last week, Norm needed to have his abscesses drained again.
That morning Cinderella tenderly licked his ears, a gesture of
affection she normally reserved for Ralph.  When the vet came to
pick Norm up, I saw Ralph watching from the top of the stairs.  At
the time I thought he was upset because someone was taking his friend
away; now I'm sure he knew that Norman wouldn't be coming back.
Although Norm made it through the operation, he was just too weak
from the ravaging infection, and he died shortly afterwards.
 
When I heard the news, I sat outside in the sun for a while.
A mockingbird came and landed near me, then flew off again. I
believe she was telling me that Norman's spirit had been released.
Although I miss him very much, I know that his spirit is still alive.
I am sure Norm is very grateful for all the love that everyone gave
him, as I am, and I'm looking forward to the day when he can
rejoin us.
 
--Ronnie (Cinderella & Ralph's mom)
[Posted in FML issue 1331]