In response to the poster who was surprised anyone could keep a ferret
outside because they would immediately run away...why do you think that?
In other times and places, people have kept ferrets in their barns to
control mice.  And there have been occasional posters to the FML who let
their fuzzies go outside unsupervised.  I find it unlikely that any ferret
of normal intelligence would forget where he lived, however there are other
reasons I think letting a ferret run outside is unwise (or even a cat).
 
First, it is documented that outdoor CATS have significantly shorter average
lifespans.  When I was a kid, we had five outdoor cats at one time.  One
disappeared without a trace.  It broke my heart.  Another disappeared.  We
found her after a week.  She had wandered into someone's garage and been
trapped there.  She died shortly after we got her to the vet.  It was too
late.  Another cat got some weird cat disease (dry feline peritonitis) which
I don't believe she would have got if she hadn't been outside.  Out of the
five, only two died of "natural" causes.
 
Now, for ferrets, there are other hazards waiting.  Stray dogs are a serious
threat, and even in the country (especially in the country) they are common.
Traffic can also squash your ferret very fast.  Raptors may eat them (if
they are not lardbutts like mine).  And, of course, they can fight with wild
animals and become injured or contract rabies.
 
Then there are the neighbors who don't like having your cat use their garden
for a litter box or kill their songbirds.  How do you think they would like
having your ferret steal their socks, raisins, slippers, garden tools, dig
in their flowerbed, attack their toes, etc.  :)
 
Keep your pets indoors or on a leash.
 
-Catherine
[Posted in FML issue 1790]