You know, I've thought about this one, myself.  Asked myself if, when the
time came, I would be able to 'get over it'.  I think I came up with an
answer that satisfies me.  No.
 
You see, each one of our trio gives my husband and I great joy- oh, you
should hear him playing with them when I'm not in the room!- and so much
unconditional love.  All they ask for is a plastic bag to murder, a
squeek toy to stash, and a clean cage with plenty of food and water to
sleep in at night in return.  They've become my babies.
 
Perhaps the key is in the agonizing.  I know that I'm blessed with
healthy babies right now, but the time may come when I'll face their
death.  When it does, I won't cry because a life is threatened, or when
one is lost, but be thankful that it happened.  Oddly enough, I learned
this lesson, not from a ferret, but from a Siberian Husky named Luke.
 
Luke was 'dumped' by my uncle, who had bought him as a status symbol when
he was married.  Shortly thereafter, he dumped the dog, and his wife, and
went on his merry way.  ..  Now, I was eight years old and had a dog.
Imagine my surprise.  Luke lived for well over 11 yrs, and never once did
I think that he might die.  Even when heartworms were diagnosed-I was a
kid, I was just learning about preventative treatment- I didn't worry or
think that I may lose him.  Thankfully, I didn't, and Luke had four more
wonderful years with me.  Then he developed intestinal blockages which I
didn't find out about until it was too late.  Finally, at the very end,
Luke's previous owner- sadly, the poor puppy wagged his tail, happy to
see my uncle who had never spent time with him- came in and paid for a
vet bill.  He paid for Luke's ticket to the bridge.
 
Did I cry?  Wept like a baby.  Did I have more pets?  Definitely.  So go
spend time with your furkids!  The only thing you'll do by keeping your
distance is give yourself more to regret when they do finally cross to
the bridge.
[Posted in FML issue 3908]