Meet Witty-- a male ferret age 5 years 8 months.  Witty returned tonight to
the shelter he left more than 2 years ago.  Amazing-- I say amazing that
Witty is even alive.  Apparently in the sheltering field, like many fields,
you just don't know what will happen down the road.  ......
 
Witty and his senior companion Bo were placed in a stable environment with
a married couple several years ago.  They rprovided both ferrets good
food-- (TF) and petromalt, ferretone, and most of all they got lots of love
and attention.
 
Bo passed away earlier this year at 8 plus years of age it was expetced and
he never had adrenal cancer-- amazing.
 
What we or I as a shelter Mom had no way of knowing is-- that after Bo
departed, the family which was now fractured from marriage separation,
would in fact lose interest in the ferret(s).
 
Last week I heard from the lady of the household-- she has moved adn
relayed that both Witty adn Skittles might need to come back-- that the
soon to be ex had a new gal in his life and made comments that he couldn't
afford their food now.  I told her to call Sunday or Monday and we would
make room for them.  No call, no ferrets... I wondered.
 
I tracked the lady down today-- asked what was up-- no call ??  She was
going to go and check on them this afternoon.  The phone rang shortly after
4 PM, we are on the way...
 
Witty, Skittles and her cage-- Witty wuld need a cage ton reside in.
 
So cages werearranged-- the ferrets did arrive.  What I saw made my blood
run cold.  The handsome blk sable ferret boy was a holocaust ferret.
Everybone stuck out his haunches sag and hip bones stick out painfully, his
head looks uncomprehensibly big next to his thin , emaciated body.
 
Skittles being a little gal-- loooks better-- her coat at least is still
soft-- hiding the thinness of her body.  I cry-- I cry for the conditions
in which these two shelter children have been allowed to survive-- barely.
The woirst part is that the male adopter KNEW we were here, knew we would
take them back-- and for a week-- these ferrets lived on hope-- hope that
someone would check to see they needed to move....
 
( I am so very glad I went looking!  yet very sad to find this--)
 
I am thankful for Witty's will to survive.  He can walk, that's good, he
takes nutrical, that's good... he is a survivor.  And now ,as the days and
weeks tick by we will see what the result of this inflicted neglect has
wrought, I cry for I am the one who placed him-- hoping for the best.  A
wonderful ferret is old before his time-- now Witty has come home.
 
The tasks of sheltering are numerous.  As in Witty's case -- there may be
other similhar cases -- where our little charges have gone off--(we hope
for the best)-- but we must realize that folks don't always meet their
obligations-- for some life gets in the way. Though we may be just down the
street -- the ferrets might not find us, at least not in time.
 
Only God (whomever he or she may be) knows what is in store for Witty, for
the others.  We must be patient -- but a lesson is learned.
 
alicia
shelter / hospice Mom]
Ferret Wise
[Posted in FML issue 2532]