Kat, I have not written to you since the passing of Mr. Fiscus, but your beautiful words of compassion and hope bring tears of gratitude to my eyes for all the little ones who have the love of a human, if even for a short time. And, particularly when they must leave us. Thank you for helping us to see and remember that a few months of love is better than no love at all. My heart breaks for the fuzzies who are alone, abandoned or neglected as they pass to the bridge. I would like to add a short(?) story about a situation that came up this weekend. About two years ago I received a phone call from my daughter-in-law's mom, Carol, saying that they wanted to give up their two fuzzies, Cinnamon and Ginger, as they just felt that they didn't have the time for them. Carol and family are very devout Christians and I went over to the house with gifts for the fuzzies - tube, hammies, toys - and talked to her and her youngest daughter Heather about their commitment to the fuzzies and their responsiblity as Christians to two of God's wonderful creations. I spent time playing with the fuzzies while I spoke with them and we watched the two fuzzkids play with their new tube - what a hoot to watch them whooshing thru the tube at break-neck speed. The family was planning a week's vacation and I agreed to care for Cinnamon and Ginger at my home during their absence and asked them to re-think their decision about the fuzzies. Well, Cinnamon almost died that weekend from stress from missing her little girl Heather. I was syringe feeding her water and Duck Soup all through Friday night, Saturday and Saturday night. On Sunday, I called to see if they were home and that I needed to get Cinnamon home as quickly as possible as she was very ill. I packed up the girls and held Cinnamon in my lap as I drove the 4 - 5 miles to their home. She seemed so weak and helpless and I was so worried about her. To make matters worse, I put my Jenny in the cage, instead of Ginger! When I got to their house, I handed Cinnamon to Heather saying that she was very ill and what I had been doing for the past few days to keep her alive. Heather kissed Cinnamon over and over and then put her down on the floor. Cinnamon ran to her food dish, ate and drank and pooped a normal poop! I have never experienced such a miraculous recovery from an animal that was pooping diarrhea and not eating or drinking ANYTHING! We all stood there and said a prayer of thanks and watched Cinnamon dook around the kitchen like nothing was wrong. Both Carol and Heather knew that they had been given a second chance with their little ones and they re-committed themselve to their fuzzies. Oh by the way, I handed Ginger (Jenny) to Heather and she was surprised at how much weight she had gained. I agreed that she had been eating and playing and seemed to be very happy visitng with my other 5 ferrets. It was then that we realized that I had brought the wrong Ginger. How embarrassing..... I had to take Jenny home and bring Ginger back. Oh well... Everything can't always be perfect! After two years of loving and caring for their fuzzies, Carol and Heather have just found out that their little Cinnamon has a large malignant mass on her intestines and will not be with them for much longer. I was so saddened to hear this news. However, Cinnamon has her little girl Heather to care for her and be with her when she leaves for the bridge and for that I am grateful. Ginger is another story and I won't go into that now. Kat, you are right when you say that some people should never and will never be good fuzzie parents, but sometimes our example can help some people get through a tough time and re-commit to their fuzzies. Each situation is different. BTW, Carol is learning about Duck Soup and syringe feedings for little Cinnamon and I have agreed to come over to help her whenever I can. Phyllis [Posted in FML issue 3816]