Yes Swampp (Rick) - I sure do know what you're saying about these little
critters who have a mind of their own and a wandering nature. We had our own
"ferret (tail) tale" earlier this year. Our male ferret Shadow pushed under a
small attic room window back in February (dead of winter up here in IL. and
on a weekend that was sub-zero), and scratched at the screen enough at the
corner to get out on the roof.  He could have slid off to the front of the
house where he would have landed on the deck and would have been secured
there.  The deck has a ferret proof screen around the inside and is gated,
but no-o-o-o.............. Shadow had to slide off the back roof and land in
the snow.  We had a surveillance video running that recorded the front of the
house, and there was Shadow at 4am running about in the snow in the front
yard.  So we knew how he escaped and when.  He appeared to have taken his
slide off the roof without injury.  We saw his footprints all over the place.
They seemed to lead to the neighbor's back yard and then to the south. Then
they disappeared.  We were worried sick and all those things you mentioned,
went through our heads too. We live in a heavily wooded village with a 350
acre forest preserve next to our house.  Shadow could have been anywhere!
Well, two weeks had gone by.  We had placed flyers all over, contacted folks
we knew at animal control, the local pet shops, etc.  After two week, you
sort of give up you know.  But on a Sunday, I get a call from the pet shop
owner wanting to know if we found Shadow. I sadly said no, and the owner said
a customer was in the shop and his dad (who lives down the street from me)
found a stray sable ferret recently.  He put the customer on the phone with
me. We talked and from the general description, the ferret sure sounded like
Shadow. The man drove over here to his dad's house and got the ferret, then
brought the ferret to my place.  A little thinner, but yep!  that was indeed
Shadow.  He looked at me like "what a jerk I was, huh?".  Shadow had found a
cat door at the back of this house and went in.  I guess he was cold enough
to seek out some shelter.  We have cats too, so Shadow knows cats and is use
to them. Shadow was only at this man's house for less than a week. Not sure
why this man didn't see the "missing ferret" flyer in his ad mailbox. We
tried to get flyers in every ad box around here.  We just don't know where
Shadow was for the other few days he was missing.  Anyhow, it was a real
miracle for us to get Shadow back.  The super cold weather really enhanced
his fur.  After we fattened him up again and got him rechecked at the vet,
his fur got thick and really soft.  He only started to shed within the last
month here when we started having real hot weather and humidity.  We have
taken plenty of ferret-proofing precautions around here, but never really
thought about the window screens.  So they have been replaced with the good
metal mesh screens now.  Shadow has mellowed since his escape and is somewhat
apprehensive now around windows and doors. He acts like he realizes how good
he has it around here. Hopefully Shadow has no more adventures planned
outside the house other than the time we give him and our other ferrets out
on the deck.
[Posted in FML issue 1263]