Hi gang! I just wanted to let ya know that my ferret, Teddy, is the Fuzzy Ferret of the Week. This is one of the best photos I've ever taken. I took this back in October of 1997 when Teddy was just 1.5 years old. Sadly, I lost Teddy last October to renal failure and the resulting anemia. I decided to submit the photo in his memory. http://www.dookranch.com/Fuzzie_Photo.html This is Teddy's story: He was one of three ferrets that I purchased at a NJ Pet Expo. I already had two, but you know how ferret math works! It must have been the bad influence of some FMLers that I met that day, who all had 5 or more ferrets! I really had my eye on a DEW (Angel), and a silver mitt (Fozzie), but this masked sable with the big brown eyes kept climbing the cage to get to me. How could I resist? He was practically begging me to take him home! Despite his orange-gray teeth (no one could ever solve this mystery), he was awarded second place in a big Sable class at an LOS show in PA, the same year the photo was taken. He was beautiful then, with a gorgeous fluffy coat. He was a very special boy and I still miss him terribly. I know he's still with me in spirit, but I sure miss having him around. He was the only one that loved to wrestle with my hand. His favorite toys were a blue,plush football baby rattle and a blue beanie dolphin. He loved to stash them, and re-stash them and steal them back from Fozzie, if he took them. He was a champion towel surfer, water bowl and rice box snorkeler. The way he left me was very sad. He had stopped eating and I had been syringe feeding him for a few weeks. I came home from work and rushed up to feed him. He must have been drooling a bit in his sleep sack, because it seemed a bit wet. He ate willingly though, and was alert so I put him down to start cleaning litter boxes, etc. About 15 minutes later, I heard this commotion from across the ferret room. I looked up, thinking that Teddy was having a scratch attack, only to see a ferret that seemed possessed by a demon. He was panting, wildly jumping, twisting, rolling around and bouncing off of things and over things. When I reached out to him, he bit me and broke the skin. I was stunned. He had never done anything more than mouth my hand as a kit. It was if he had become a wild, rabid animal. He was very hand shy, hyper-sensitive to noise, movement and light. I couldn't go anywhere near him without putting a bottle of Ferretone in front of his mouth. My friend, Michelle Tonkinson of Philly Ferrets, helped me to give him sub-Q fluids, and a shot of Dex. I had to confine him to a carrier overnight, for his own protection. The next morning he lost control of his hind legs and bladder. It was heart-wrenching. He even bit me again after I fed him and was stroking his head and consoling him. With severe anemia, severe renal failure, adrenal, stomach ulcers and now this, I knew it was time to say good-bye. I couldn't bear to see him lying in his own urine, even though I changed his towels frequently. What was even harder to bear, was the lack of recognition when he looked at me. He looked at me, warily, like I was a threat. I recently had Lorelei Hunt (loreleihunt.com) communicate with my three elderly ferrets, my two cats, and my beloved Teddy. Yes, animal communicators can speak to pets that are deceased. I guess it's no different that what John Edward can do for people. Teddy told her that he (his spirit) wasn't in his body for the last day or so. That explained a lot. I just felt that my Teddy, the ferret that I loved so much, wasn't there anymore. When I told Lorelei how he behaved in the end, she explained that an animal without a soul will act in a very wild manner, just like he did. I wanted to ask more, but time ran out, so it'll have to wait until next time. Fozzie told Lorelei that Teddy and BJ both visit him often, though, so I know there still with us. Until recently, I always wondered about an afterlife. Was this it or was there more? I have taken a great deal of comfort from shows like Crossing Over and the Pet Psychic. I know that some day, I will be reunited with my beloved pets. Dodie in NJ, missing Teddy, BJ, Gidget, Kelsey and Maddie (the cat) [Posted in FML issue 3846]