RE: Andrea M. Garza and Buffy's questions...
 
Our experience is that the softness of fur changes seasonally.  Not big
changes but noticeable.  We have a white female that is particularly prone
to developing a very soft think coat just after molting.  When not following
a molt their coats are generally smooth guard hairs with soft underhair.
 
We have also noticed that all of them have had a much better condition coat
for the last three years.  Fuller, softer and less dry and brittle.  Two
changes may be significant here:
 
  1. We switched them to a ferret specific food about three
     years ago. (Totally Ferret from Iams kitten food.)
  2. We stopped frequent bathing. Now they get one about every
     12 months. (May actually just stop bathing them altogether
     as they don't seem to need it!)
[Posted in FML issue 1866]