The day Chip died was also a regular meeting of FACT members (Ferret
Association of CT) so I went.  FACT operates a great shelter, and on days
when meetings are kinda slow, we all go into a weasel room and hug the
homeless weasels!  Ok, so we do this even on a busy day.  Wouldn't you know
I got instantly attracted to one?  Her name was Natasha, but the way she
attached herself to my sleeve, shimmied on up to my shoulder and stayed
there, made me call her VelcroWeasel.  She was recently "turned in" by a
family for whatever reason.  She needed immediate adrenal surgery, and when
I met her she was recovering very nicely.  After a while we all trekked
upstairs to the "Old Lady Room."  This is where the elderly ferrets are
kept, especially those considered unadoptable due to age or chronic illness.
FACT has a wonderful program in which some of these ferrets are "fostered"
out to caring homes, and while the foster parent provides love, food, care,
attention, and basic upkeep, FACT is there in case of any major medical
problems.  This makes the elderly ferrets more likely to get a home.
Generous donors, Foster Grandparents, commit money and other resources to
support the program.  Since I was so sad about Chip, I decided to think
about taking in a foster.  We talked it over at home, and the next week I
went to FACT with my son, planning to adopt an elderly ferret.  We picked
Sassy, a nice chocolate girl, who tolerates other ferrets, plays a bit,
sleeps a lot.  She's not a lap ferret exactly, but at age 5 seemed most
likely to integrate with our home.  And -- whoops -- we came home with
Velcro Weasel too!  Our existing two -- Megabyte and Becky -- seemed
surprised at the doubling of the weasel component.  Becky actually knows
Sassy, since they were both housed in the FACT Old Lady Room at one time.
But Becky is miffed and has been hiding.  Sassy is holding her own, gamely
inspecting her new home and visiting her new humans.  Velcro is really
wired, funny, nosy, busy, and giving Megabite a run for his money.  He needs
it!  At two and half pounds of scurrying trouble, it's about time someone
gave him a dose of his own medicine.  My son likes to pet Megabyte on the
head, gently, but in such a way as to tease his fluffy fur into a mohawk.
There's nothing better than seeing Megabyte, with a straight-up mohawk,
being chased by Velcro at top speed.  (Velcro is deaf so we can call her
whatever we want.) We are really enjoying our increase.  Ferret Math strikes
again!
 
Kat
[Posted in FML issue 2291]