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Subject:
From:
Michelle Lattanzio <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 25 Mar 2004 14:00:43 -0500
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Sandee,
 
Cheshire, our first ferret girl, a petite silver mitt, crossed to the
Bridge yesterday afternoon (she was the last of our pair).  She and her
sister Bear's names came from Alice in Wonderland characters, slightly
modified (The Cheshire Ferret and the March Bear).  Cheshire left us as
a grand old dame (she was 9 1/2 years old), bearing up for a long time
under the strain of several diseases (adrenal, insulinoma, renal failure,
anemia, completely blind/deaf for 2 years now, and some kind of awful,
unidentifiable skin rash).  She had an amazing will to live, even as her
body was shutting down around her.  I don't think I have ever witnessed
another living being outside of my father fight for life as hard as she
did.  Our vet, her hooman dad and I did everything we could do for her,
but her body was just giving out in the end and nothing we could do could
stop it now.  She was intent on living life as long as possible.  Up to
her very last day, she was still curious and keen-eyed, still plotting
a route to get past the barrier erected in the family room (her domain,
respected as hers even by our Bengal girl) into the uncharted territory
of the kitchen (where, I am sure, she planned to orchestrate some kind
of secret FLO maneuver).
 
I hope she finds her sister in fur, Bear, who crossed the Bridge from
chemotherapy complications on April 24th, 2003.  She and Bear were quite
a pair.  Cheshire was the brains of the outfit, and Bear was the muscle
(she was plump and strong, a very sweet tempered chocolate sable girl).
Bear was fiercely devoted to Cheshire, and kind of served as Cheshire's
"bodyguard", though Cheshire let all the ferrets she encountered in her
life know she was the "boss." I can still remember watching, laughing the
whole time, while Cheshire instructed Bear how best to steal the sacred
squeaky yellow hedgehog and stuff it behind the couch.  Cheshire dooked
and chattered away at Bear, who was trying with all her might to first
push, then getting behind the couch to pull, the toy back to their stash
zone.
 
Cheshire stole plenty of things on her own, too, most memorably 2 liter
bottles of 7-Up, smaller bottles of grenadine syrup and my car keys
(which she promptly hid under the t.v., and I had to bribe her with
raisins to get them back.  She would bring me other objects she had
hidden under there that she was willing to give up...bottle caps, pens,
stuffed toys, buttons, etc., anything but my keys.  Took me a half-hour
to persuade her!).  She loved soda and grenadine -- my husband used to
have a habit of drinking soda from the 2-liter bottle, and she would wait
until the bottle was on its side then grab it and run with it...all you'd
see was a bottle of 7-up moving of seemingly it's own accord across the
floor...very funny sight).
 
She loved raisins and would frequently steal Bear's right out of her
mouth if she didn't eat them fast enough, so please make sure she has
raisin access...
 
Also, help her and Bear find their special friends, Oliver, Romeo and
Georgette, who used to room with us 3 months out of the year while their
humans worked out of state, before they all crossed to the Bridge two
years ago.  Cheshire and Romeo were buddies, Bear and Oliver were
buddies, and Georgette always did her own thing.
 
Please let her know that we love her and her sister very much, and that
we miss them both.  We take some comfort in knowing that both girls will
have full, beautiful coats again, be able to dook and wardance to their
heart's content, and will never be sick again.  Please tell them that
everything we did for them both, we did out of love.  Our lives are so
much richer for having them as our fur family -- we learned so very much
from them both -- how to love, to enjoy life, and to handle illness and
dying with grace.  We hope to see them again someday when we too leave
this world for the next.
 
Thanks to you, Sandee and Sara-ferret, for all you do for the ferret
community!
 
All our best to everyone,
Michelle and Jon
[Posted in FML issue 4463]

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