Hello everyone.
 
I tried to post yesterday about my experience with adding ferrets to a
house of cats, but my post was too long.  I'll just quickly say here that
of my 8 cats, only the 2 that were still kittens when the ferrets came in
will have anything to do with them.  The others simply avoid them.  The 2
girls are routinely chased and harassed and will eventually jump up onto
tables or chairs or cages to be free of the brats.  Still, they will
actively jump over the barrier to get into the room with the ferrets.
Maybe it's just to get at their food; maybe they're just jealous of the
attention the ferrets get.  In any case, they are gentle with the ferrets,
gently swatting them or trying to mouth them.  Oh, and it's funny as hell
to watch the cats sit on the ferrets to get them to quit nipping at their
toes!
 
I don't want to go off topic here so I will just say that I agree 100% with
Michelle Henry.  I'll leave it at that.
 
Someone mentioned that their albino ferret has developed yellow-tinged fur.
(Sorry, I can't seem to find your name!) I had the same happen here at my
place.  A couple of my lighter ferrets got a yellow tinge to their fur when
they put on their winter coats this past year.  I thought it might have
something to do with their food.  I had started adding Totally Ferret to
Iams Kitten.  It seems to be fading now.  Except for Christopher, who has
a bid of bright yellow.  Then again, he's always been very oddly colored;
he's a panda wanna-be mostly.
 
Question of the Week: Since I just finished cage laundry late last night,
it's on my mind to ask this.  What do you wash the ferret bedding in?  Does
anyone use anything special in their wash?  As a corollary to this, what
kind of bedding to you have to begin with?  I, personally, use dye and
perfume free Arm & Hammer laundry soap.  I don't use fabric softener on the
bedding.  For bedding, I use bath carpetting to cover the cage floors and
on top I have hammocks and sleep sacks and sleep tubes.  I also use the
fake fleece material which they love to sleep on and under.  My big boys
also have 2 fleece circular cat beds that I had to take away from my cats.
(One cat insisted on piddling in them.  But then, he's weird that way.
Healthy, just weird.) The guys love to curl up in them.
 
That's all from me for now.  Gotta get back to work.  See you at the
Pennsauken show!
 
Anastasia Kidd
Plainfield, NJ
[Posted in FML issue 2992]