When Chook was off of his food and refused to eat at home but ate well when he was under care by the vet, I jokingly said that it was Munchausen By Proxy. The vet looked at me very seriously, and then asked, "Well, is it?" "If it were, would I be suggesting to you?", came my reply. This woman that I am babysitting the four ferrets for, does not have this condition. Her true problem lies in the fact that she just does not comprehend what it takes to look after another life. I did not make it clear in my original post but this woman is learning disabled, as I was able to ascertain yesterday, when she was here on her weekly visit. That is mainly the reason I find this situation so difficult. But by taking my time in explaining the situation carefully, and letting her know that animals in general, do not have to be put to sleep if they get the proper care in the first place, or are allowed to get the necessary medical attention they deserve when they need it, they can live long happy lives. I am trying to get across the idea that it is wonderful to have pets, but you must be responsible to them fully. Yesterday, I spoke to her about the possibility that the one she surrendered may get depressed over the loss of his female buddy. She grew defensive again but I quickly explained that we have to look at what is best for the surrendered ferret, as well as the cage mate. She said that she would only surrender the cage mate if she got sick and lost weight. I tried to explain to her that waiting for sickness to develop may be a bad way to go and may put the life of the ferret into jeopardy. Sickness is something we try to prevent, not allow to happen. She is adamant that she can provide the food, vet check ups, and the other things the ferrets need to survive. Again, we are dealing with a woman who just does not know any better when it comes to ferret care. It will be a long road, but I am willing to teach her what I can in order that at least the two younger ferrets will have a chance. She is now looking at pet insurance for the other three. I think she will be in shock once she hears that it is not cheap, at least that is what I understand about it up here in Canada. I had once investigated it myself for my bunch and it turned out to be close to $250 a year for each of my furry friends... for me that is $2500 a year for the ferrets alone. I have yet to spend that amount of money on any single one for medical services rendered. (Knock on wood.) I feel it is better to save the money I can and use it directly towards the care they need when they need it. Even Spaz's surgeries to date have not reached half of this amount. In the meantime, I have made her up a list of foods she should pick up, including some chicken baby food and Nutrical. She is having a hard time trying to figure out how she will be able to afford the food... *sigh* Then she talked about adopting two more ferrets from the ferret society whom I volunteer for... I explained that she needs to concentrate on the ones she has for the time being. This will be a long road... betty and her blur o'fur [Posted in FML issue 3059]