I had privately emailed Annoyed yesterday.  Her post 'really' upset me,
and I thought it would be more appropriate to send her a private email
to better understand what the FML is and what we are about.  Today I am
reading a lot of public responses to Annoyed, and I now would like
publicly voice in reference to her post.
 
Of course a ferret is not as important as a human child!!  No one here
on this list would say otherwise.  Ferrets are part of our families, a
big part.  I'm certain that all on this list would tend to their human
child first, before their ferret.  I have no children, this is a personal
choice I made long ago.  (There are a great number of people on the FML
who don't have children, or whose children have grown and gone).  Some do
have children, still, ferrets are our children, in every aspect!!
 
I put my ferrets on a pedestal, I love them to pieces.  I am an animal
lover at heart, I've had all kinds of pets; cats, dogs, rabbits,
hampsters, fish...all kinds.  I gave each and every one a good life and
it hurt to see them go.  They all took a piece of my heart, but my
ferrets, they've taken my soul.  Of all the pets that I have had, ferrets
are my favorite, a phenominal bond forms, one that can't hold a candle to
any other kind of pet I've ever had.
 
Rainbow Bridge, is a place we all believe our beloved pets go to wait
for us and join them in eternity.  And that goes without saying not just
ferrets... animals of every kind.  The poem was a huge inspiration for
me and gave me great solace when I lost my Jade Elaine and when I had to
have Daisy Mai put down.  It's an old Norse Legend, a great number of us
believe with all our hearts that there is such 'a place'.
 
You wrote:
>Do you think my daughter's pet rat that recently passed away will join
>your ferrets in the rainbow bridge and end up as food for them??
 
Yes of course your daughter's rat will join all the animals at the
Rainbow Bridge, but not as dinner for ferrets.
 
You think it is cruel to feed our ferrets such a diet as mice.  It's all
part of the food chain of life.  I would like to think with that type of
comment, you are indeed a vegetarian.  If you eat meat/fish of any kind,
wouldn't it be fair to say that you are being hypocritical???  I myself
don't feed my ferrets mice, but it certainly isn't a bad thing for those
who do.
 
If you are looking for solely medical/health issues for ferrets, perhaps
you should join the FHL, (Ferret Health List),
[log in to unmask]
but I will warn you now, people on the FHL do indeed feed their ferrets
mice and many believe the ferret gains a much more healthy/longer
lifespan from this method of feeding.  Oh, and a bit of advice in joining
the FHL, they will not tolerate any posts such as the one you've
written!!
 
If my way of thinking makes me a 'Ferret Fanatic', well hey, it's one
moniker I very proud to live up to :)
 
Well I'm off to play some ferret games and go tubing with my fuzzies :)
 
Jadesun, Amber-Lynn n' Nikki Taur
 missing Jade Elaine & Daisy Mai
 http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/jadesun
[Posted in FML issue 3905]