Heather, you are so right. I have had cats all my life, and only recently got ferrets, and then only because my girlfriend wanted one (no, I wasn't against it, just ambivalent). But now, I know it sounds cruel to say, I definitely love the ferrets even more than the cats! It's impossible to understand just how much a ferret can bond with you, and you with it, until you keep one - or several. In fact our first was just a cute pet while I was on the road, but when I got to stay home with him for a while, we really bonded. And these are animals who don't like to be held, petted, or cuddled! (Yes, I know some do, but our young'uns don't. They do like to fight with me, though.) Judging from that and all of the digusted-but-fascinated looks I see from non-ferret people, I can definitely say only ferret owners understand. Roger, Digger, Bear, Fox, and Sniffles [Posted in FML issue 3751]