The past 12 months has been hectic for many reasons but mostly because of
sick ferrets.  Easter gave me a chance to reflect upon the time...
 
First we lost Bella who suddenly got ill and die in recovery after
surgery... She had lymphoma of the stomach.  A dear sweet, old gal, who
slept with us every night.  The bed, although filled with new fuzzy
bodies, has never been the same without seeing her wash up before sleep
followed by a quick gnat nip on our hands with useless and nearly worn to
the root canines... the same canines that took her hours to devour her
daily mouse treat.
 
A month later, we lost Bella's new friend, Lace.  Another old gal, and
feisty for an 11 year old, she hung on until fibrosarcoma, a mouth cancer
took her from us... Her squeaks and squeals when fighting over a piece of
red licorice will forever be burned into my mind.  She had the strength
of males that were twice her age, and a spirit that filled out home with
joy every day...
 
In August we lost Ping, one of the youngest losses we have had.  At 4,
she was found to have an intestinal tumor that was inoperable.  With her
gone, there is no other ferret who answered to her name better by hissing
at us when ever we called her... And the house is definitely quieter with
her not around.  Morning bounces on the bed with Mushu have been replaced
by two others, but the girls' daily morning wrestling ritual was far more
lady like.
 
Just days apart, Zsa-Zsa's tiny little white body was found... she had
gone in her sleep.  Although we always would tell ourselves that them
going in their sleep was better than having to make the decision of
euthanization, her death left us with many unanswered questions that
would never give us resolution.  A small, unassuming ferret, she fit in
where she could and lived out her life in ferrety style.
 
Christmas marked the end of a very long struggle with cutaneous
lymphosarcoma and with a boy who fought the odds and lived through
countless surgeries and treatments.  Spaz will forever be remembered for
his courage, his strength and his ability to go with the flow.  The house
is very quiet without his bird like chirps and squeaks.  Our little naked
mole man...
 
Two weeks later ended our time being caregivers to our only ever guinea
pig, Squirt.  He too died in his sleep.  We have no idea how old he was.
It is yet another reminder of how quiet the house is with no squeals
echoing throughout each time the refrigerator door opened.  The ferrets
tried to make him one of their own but I don't think he really wanted to
be a ferret.
 
And last month, we lost Gadget... he went in for adrenal surgery in
January and recovered but something else took over.  He went down hill
quickly and our albino watchdog, our keeper of the front door, our cuddle
man couldn't fight what eventually took him... We miss his sweet face
always greeting us at the door when we came home.  It did not matter what
time of day or night... he always made an appearance.
 
Each one had their fight.  Each one of them had us in their corner.
Each one made a difference in our lives.  Each one left a hole in our
hearts...
 
We live with 18 of our own ferrets now and 2 fosters and it is hard to
imagine a home quiet with so many.  It is hard to understand the feeling
of emptiness when one of these precious souls leaves our earthly
shores... It's hard to imagine the quiet when there is a house filled
with the rough and tumble of ferrets trying to get the better of one
another.  But those sounds are different from the sounds of days past.
It's akin to hearing certain people's voices and speech rhythm and then
suddenly not hearing them anymore.... that's what it's like.... losing
a friend.
 
We did what we could for each of them as we did for those that went
before and those that will go in the future.  Each struggle unique and
independent of the others.  Each one precious.  Each one a story to tell
and a book to be written.  This is our family and although each story
will end with a broken heart, filled with sorrow and sadness, there will
come a time when their memories give joy to the heart and replenish the
soul...
 
I raise a glass to them all... past, present, future.  And my heart fills
with joy...
 
betty and her blur o'fur
for the love of ferrets...
[Posted in FML issue 4126]