Greetings !
 
What an absolute joy to open up the digest and see that we're moving on
from the Modern Ferret controversy.  It's great to see a variety of posts
once again, and I must admit the sick pleasure I get looking at the ferret
songs.  I am a disc jockey for a classic rock station, and find myself
coming up with more ferret-centric lyrics.  (The Rolling Stone's "You Can't
Always Get What You Want" is soooo much more entertaining as "You Can't
Always Pooh in the Box ")
 
I have discovered an affliction far worse than ferret math - ferret guilt.
Dave and I spent Friday night grooming, clipping nails, cleaning ears,
etc., only to discover the next morning that we had missed vet check-in for
the Columbus show.  We are a good four hours from Columbus.  So, we tucked
the gleaming, sweet-smelling ferrets back in their cage and went by
ourselves.
 
Ferret Guilt struck with a vengeance !  Sixty pounds of Totally Ferret, one
ferret snuggly, one corner bed, several magazines, twenty - four Cheweasels
, and various balls, toys, and treats later, the fog lifted.  We left dazed
and broke.  Still, we had a great time, and the little monsters were
showered with gifts...as if they needed anything else !
 
Bullet has joined the pack.  Linda Iroff posted a couple of weeks back
about a ferret in KY who needed a home, and I'm pleased to say he is a
cherished addition.  He sailed through quarantine and vet checks, and has
been accepted into the fold without dominance struggles .  Oddly, he and my
youngest, most aggressive uber-alpha ferret Bitty have bonded .  They are
never apart.  My kudos to his former owners who took the time to explore
placement options.  It's rare and truly a joy to take in a ferret who has
been well-treated and obviously loved.
 
 .....Unlike poor Callie.  She's only been with us a couple of weeks and
came to us naked with just a couple of wisps of hair.  Never spayed, vet
checked, and had subsisted on cheap cat food her entire life.  She has a
large mass in her abdomen, and is currently at the vet's rehydrating and
preparing for surgery - she was scheduled for surgery yesterday, but we
opted to wait and give her a few more days of fluids and nutrition.  She's
quite a fighter - alert and mobile.  She's never been around other ferrets
so she hisses whenever she catches a glimpse of any of the others.  Please
keep her in your thoughts.  Even with the surgery, I'm pretty sure she
doesn't have much time left, but I want to make it as happy as possible for
her.  She soaks up attention, and we'll give that to her as long as she's
around.  Please note that I will not hesitate to put her down if she shows
signs of suffering, but she's doing good and I want to give her a chance.
 
Susan, we really appreciate your kind thoughts.  I accidentally erased your
email, so here's a public thank you .
 
So very glad to see some furor dying down and a return to the true topic of
ferrets.  A giant sigh of relief.
 
Best to you and yours,
Kym and the wondrous eleven......Stinky, Katie, Rikki, Zoe, Pooh,
Mortimer, Mortimee, Bitty,  Sabrina,  Callie, and Bullet.
[Posted in FML issue 2793]