Four of my ferrets have come and gone in these three years.  Barney (albino
male) came from GCFA Shelter when he was 8.  He was recovering from adrenal
surgery and bladder surgery, and he had insulinoma and a hairless tail.  At
GCFA, he spent most of his time in his hammock.  We didn't expect him to
live long.
 
He lived one year exactly and gave me so much joy.  All his tail hair came
back, and he loved to run and play with the youngsters.  He and the cat had
a thing; he was HER ferret.  What an angel he was [is].
 
While Barney was with me, a neighbor gave me Opie, a 16mo sable male.  Opie
had been abandoned in a garage.  He had lost a little hair, and my friend's
vet had prescribed antibiotics for a virus.  Opie was so sweet and gentle.
In two days he went from recovering to deceased.  He just crashed.  The vet
had misdiagnosed him; the necropsy indicated systemic cancer.  Poor darling.
 
The day Opie died, GCFA gave me Annie to look after.  She had a touch of ECE
and was losing weight.  She only stayed a week.  In spite of supplemental
food and hydration and almost constant attention, she didn't make it.  She
was so beautiful; a perfect sable with grey-tipped tresses along her sides.
And the angel's face...
 
Spencer died a month ago today.  I still cry for him; heck, I still cry for
Barney, and it's been over a year.  He was the prettiest ferret I ever saw,
a cinnamon shetland.  He hated other ferrets and adored me.  We had private
play time every day.  If I left the room to get the phone or whatever, he'd
wait by the gate for me to come back and play a new game.  I loved his
eyes, the expressions in them.  I loved how very hard we tried together to
get him through his last illness.  I miss him aweful.
 
My one regret is that I never photographed any of them.  Shortly after
Spencer's death, I bought a camera and photographed the lot of them.
 
Cher
[Posted in FML issue 2153]