This is Susie Lee for the embattled (by two major hurricanes, most
recently Dennis) Ferret and Dove Sanctuary, Inc.
 
We have finally got our electricity back on after five days of not even
being able to run a gosh-doggoned FAN!
 
Every day and night, we have been taking out and wetting down each and
every ferret to try to keep their body-heat from critical, we've managed
to get extra ice on two of the 90-degree days and put pans and pots of
ice over each of 31 cages with 58 ferrets, keeping the rooms darkened
and windows opened and I'd take the broomstick-handle to spin the blades
on the cieling fans, less-so during the mornings, while Wes and I were
changing their cages and letting out everyone in their usual shifts, but
with a wide-shallow plastic cage-bottom with about half an inch of water
for the braver ones to wade in...not a great picnic for the humans to be
changing 31 cages in blistering, unreleived heat especially when HE can
take off his shirt and I can't!...I'm gonna switch to being a boy next
life...
 
Little Prince Albert Ferret was rushed to one of the three vets in
town that understood ferrets which happened to be open by themselves
running a generator to power two floor fans, their laptop, and their
medication-refridgerator; the vet at Safe Harbor Animal Hospital saved
Little Prince Abert's life, with theophylline and baytril for severe
chest congestion(yes, he's 9 and a halfyears old, and frail, but his
cage-mate, Jazzmine Miss Boss is a much heartier and older 13 years old).
 
The other one that almost went into heat-stroke/shock is a diabetic,
Jasper CinnamonCoat, which he was just barely pulled out of being TOO
listless three times.
 
Most of the others stayed verrrry still, the two very youngest were
panting at one point from not having the sense to be as still-lying as
the older and wiser ferrets and a re-wetdown pulled them through.  Every
one of 58 ferrets has been heaving relieved little sighs of newly
air-conditioned contentment.  Phseew, and us, too!  ... every little
furry faces is okay, accounted for, and two have made it by the skin
of my skin.  Doggoned hurricane clipped us with it's eyewall, all but
knocking down every power substation in town and cracking many poor trees
clean in half at the levels of the tops of the single-storied houses'
roofs.  Looked like two embedded tornadoes whooshed through with it,
very close to, but not right at us.
 
But we are bound and determined to NEVER put these ferrets through
Floridian heat ever again!
 
Help us get a generator for the Sanctuary, for the Ferrets!  Our web-page
has three "make a donation" buttons which we checked out with the (real)
PayPal by phone before we got the power back on, so either by that means
or directly, send what you feel you can to the santuary to help the
ferrets make it in some better comfort than this last week-long
nightmare.  Everything with a return-address will get a thank-you And
a tax reciept.  Send checks or money orders(made out) to...
 
The Ferret And Dove Sanctuary, Inc.
3815 Tom Lane Drive, Pensacola, Florida, 32504
 
or use the Paypal donatio buttons that are here...
http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/ferret_rescuer/index.html
[Posted in FML issue 4939]