Dear Ferret Folks-
 
Twice now recently I've seen posts from Lisa asking about the possibility
of disengaging from ferret ownership forever.  I don't think it is at all
unreasonable to make that decision, if the circumstances of your life
demand it.  For a time, mine did.  I became catastrophically ill, and was
unable to work for a year.  The doctors couldn't offer me much hope that
I would ever get better.
 
At the time, Sabrina the Bat-Biter was a solo ferret, the rest of my tribe
had gone to the bridge for one reason or another: illness, accidents.
Life was such a stressful, gray place for me.  And Sabrina was a pain in
the behind.  She had always been aloof, but when she lost her last cage
mate she became down-right nasty.  The last thing I needed was a huge vet
bill that I couldn't possibly pay for a ferret that appeared to hate the
whole world, especially me.  I thought of her a financial time bomb, and
I just didn't need the grief.
 
So I found her what I thought would be a forever home with a young woman
with a huge heart, and I decided no more ferrets.  I missed being part of
the ferret community, and so did my husband, but we were comfortable with
our decision.  Had nothing changed, we would have remained sometimes
wistful former ferret owners.
 
Things did change.  I stumbled upon a doctor who literally managed to give
me my life and health back, and Sabrina's circumstances became dire.  Her
forever home was not working out at all.  The young woman was feeding her
cat chow and complained that she no longer had the time for Sabrina.  I
had given my word that I would take her back if necessary, and after a
year or so, back she came.  Mean as all get out.  She had a permanent
little black storm cloud over her head.  She was no.  Fun.  At all.
 
I really had to make a hard decision then.  Was I going to let Sabrina
live out her life, and no more ferrrets, or was I going to jump back in
with both feet?  Jumping back in involved getting Sabrina a cage mate,
just a quality of life issue for her.  It also entailed possibly years of
responsibility for a second ferret.  Someday I might be back in the same
boat, worrying at the edges of the same issues.
 
I jumped.  My husband bonded with a little kit at a pet store right
between Christmas and his birthday.  Switch came home with us.  If it had
been just me, I don't think I would have jumped back in again, but my
husband has so much extra love to give....
 
And things worked out well.  I'm back at work.  Sabrina is a changed
ferret after all her trials and tribulations, she had evidently been
desperately loney without a cage mate.  She loves Switch, who is a fifth
her age and twice her weight.  Switch loves everybody, especially my
husband, who has a heart the size of Wisconsin.
 
So I guess I can say I've been on both sides of the issue, and yes-if you
can't afford a ferret you probably shouldn't have one.  Never apologize
for being responsible, our pets need that from us, as much as they need
our love.  Somebody has to be the grown-up.
 
Will I get more ferrets?  Probably.  But I will do so with my eyes wide
open.
 
Alexandra in Massachusetts
[Posted in FML issue 3773]