>The question is what breed(s) do well with ferrets? We both have >experience with labs and would like to get one that is at least a year old >For those of you that had a cat before they got their ferret can you >respond? I've thought about getting my cat's front paws declawed but >just wanted to know how other people have handled this. my 2 cents on... dogs... Most labs seem to be gentle and good with other animals. My own experience has been with a shepherd mix, a sheltie, and a golden mix. All 3 have been very good with ferrets though they ferrets can be very annoying. For the most part I keep them separate unless I'm there. Occasionally my dog will play with them, but then I separate them again as the ferrets will play forever and the dog has enough after a while. cats... I've always had lots of cats with ferrets. In my experience the ferrets are much more likely to annoy the cats than the other way around. Occasionally a cat will swat a ferret but usually the ferrets terrorize the cats. I would never declaw a cat for any reason, I think it's cruel and unnecessary. Some of my ferrets live with the cats; others I keep separate because they bite the cats and I don't think it's fair to the cats to be stressed out in their own home. My personal feeling is that every animal should feel safe in their own home. Just my 2 cents. --Ronnie Harry, Merlin, Roxanne, Petunia, Epcot and Clover's mom in Mass. [Posted in FML issue 2991]