Got one more for the list, and a related story...
 
You know you're a ferret person when... you go on "the" job interview, and
state that you can only take the job if they will allow you time-off for vet
appointments and will allow you to adjust your schedule when your ferrets
need medication!
 
Here's another example of how I know I'm a ferret person: My husband and I
have had quite an ordeal in the past trying to find housing.  When we were
in college, lying was the only way.  In a college town, you say you've got
fish and they look at you funny.  Eviction is no stranger to me...
 
When we moved down here and got married, we got lucky; we found a cute (but
small) house to rent, and the landlord didn't ask for details when we said
we had cats and ferrets (course, he'd probably have asked more if I'd
specified that I own nine ferrets, plus house any number of shelter ferrets,
and have nine cats to boot...) Unfortunately, our lease runs out in June,
and we're not too sure that we'll be invited to stay on for another term
(owners don't want to deal with it anymore).  But we also aren't quite in a
financial position to buy a house yet, either, so we're back in our old
boat.  But of course, back to the "you know you're a ferret owner when..."
I've got specific home restrictions to limit us even further... <grin>
 
So we're going to enlist the help of a woman who, for a fee, claims that she
can find the exact housing that you're looking for.  I've been told that
"sure, she can even help you!" I can't wait to see this.  This is how it's
going to go...
 
We need a three-plus bedroom home.  It can't be in the city or town, must be
out in the country, of course, so the cats can go out.  We have to have a
lawn, so the ferrets can go out (supervised).  There must be at least one
large room on the first floor, to be the ferret room.  This room must be
hole-free, crack-free, hidey-hole free.  There must be linoleum or vinyl
flooring, not carpet.  There must be ceiling lights, so we don't have to
plug anything in--ferrets can chew cords (one of our shelters died this
way).  The heating must be of some sort that the ferrets cannot get into
heating vents, radiators, etc.  The ferret room must be on the first floor,
as close to a door as possible, in case of a fire or other immediate
evacuation need.  The owners of the house must be willing to allow us to
remove the door to the ferret room and replace it with a dutch door or use
some other barrier, because the ferrets have to stay in there, but of course
the cats like to go in and play with the ferrets.  Plus, we have to be able
to hear if there's a scuffle or problem in there.  There must be a basement
or laundry room, out of the way, for the cats' litter boxes; they like to go
in privacy, and we don't need to smell it in the kitchen <g>.  There must
also be a utility sink or something comparable in the house, for easy
litterbox cleaning in the winter, when we can't use outdoor hoses.  And of
course, we need a basement or garage in which we can store an extra ten to
twenty cages and cat carriers.  The only requirement that the humans require
is running water and a clean, fairly modern kitchen.  Other than that, we
have no special requests...
 
Anyone else out there gone through this?  Just in case you're wondering, I'm
completely serious... :-)
 
Kymberlie Becker Barone
Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
"Forget Puppy Love...There's nothing Greater than Ferret Love!" TM
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/ferretlady
[Posted in FML issue 2187]