Chistoso... ;)
 
Sounds like you have a bundle of worries with the cats and ferrets.
 
Well...when I introduced my cat to the ferrets, his nails were clipped for
safety.  Yes, he could do damage with his teeth, but nails typically are a
big danger in a fight.
 
The ferrets have tough skin, and my cat now, even with claws, hasn't broken
their skin once.
 
Mindy, on the other hand.... was challenged by the cat in the first month.
She won.  The boy still has the scar under his eye from where she bit him
hard.  I found the tuft of furr on the floor one day, not knowing what
animal lost it.  The cat did.
 
My parent's cat, however, beat the snot out of the ferret one day because
the fert wouldn't leave her alone.  My parent's cat is a veteran scrapper
and hunter (rabbits, squirrels,etc.).  I'll sum up the relationship between
the two cats and my ferrets to date.
 
     Samson - my cat (1 yr old)
     Pika - my parent's cat (12-13 years)
 
     Mindy - 1.4 year old ferret
     Gabby - 1.2 year old ferret
     Lola  - 3 month old ferret
 
 
     Samson and:
 
     Mindy - sparring partners. Mindy gets angered with him, and is the
     wisest of the three ferts. When she's peaved, it usually winds up with
     a stand off. She'll grab a hold of his upper lip and hold him fast
     until he calms down. If he dares move, she bites in hard. They
     normally ride the threshold of hurting each other when they play. They
     appear to like it this way.
 
     Gabby - like an older brother. Plays mildly with her, but doesn't
     upset her. Gabby doesn't like rough housing and the cat understands
     it. She'll usually start it, and he'll just amuse her or wash her
     down.
 
     Lola - heading in Mindy's tracks. She's almost as big as Mindy, but
     the energy level of this critter is unreal. She can literally jump on
     Samson's back as he runs by, bite into the struff and go for a rodeo
     ride. Samson has adjusted his strength levels with her as she's grown.
     He was VERY gentle with her when she was palm sized.... now he
     challenges her more.
 
     Pika and:
 
     Mindy - keep away from me ferret. Hates Mindy because Mindy bit her
     when they first met. Decked Mindy a few times claws and all. Mindy
     understands Pika's strength in fighting and respectfully keeps her
     distance. Normally Mindy's arrival means Pika's exit to the basement
     for peace.
 
     Gabby - getting better. Gabby usually hisses at Pika when Pika hisses,
     kind of like a "get lost" game. Pika respects Gabby more and realizes
     she's not a threat of any sort. My mother said that last week, Pika
     actually would not retreat to the basement and would hang around
     quitely and undisturbed.
 
     Lola - hasn't met Pika yet. Have a feeling that she won't listen to
     Pika's warnings. Have to keep an eye on her until she's learned a bit
     more about Pika's temper.
 
Suggestions?  Have a retreat for the cats.  You know that they take a long
time to get used to other animals and they're VERY territorial.  Samson was
a piece of cake as he was young as well when he met the ferts.  Pika's old
and set in her ways.  Cat's hold on to their experiences quite strongly.
It'll take some time, but definitely monitor for at least the first month.
After that, if everything appears to be getting better, slacken the
monitoring.
 
It might take longer....
 
     Rob & Kate with crew in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 
     Samson, Mindy, Gabby and Lola
[Posted in FML issue 1639]