Please send a prayer and a thought that little Minnie Markum Poufay is winging her way cross the Bridge, tail afluff and paws light. Sweet little Minnie, our last ferret, crossed over sometime in the wee hours of September 7th, Saturday morning. Minnie, my "Little Goose", had the wildest, craziest little weezle war dance of all our ten furzies. Head thrashing, jaws agape, hopping and spinning, like a flea gone mad she lost all control and became utter, abandoned joy. Minnie, born June 15th, 1994, was the runt (so called!) and not expected to live, being the tiniest in a battle of nine for eight teats. But her feisty soul bore her through that, and much more. A congenital heart murmur, whooshing away like a washing machine, bore the expectation she'd show symptoms of heart problems around four, but she lived eight and a quarter years and it may have been her kidneys that went first. Her eyes were a honey-color red and, no matter the season, she weighed one pound four (maybe five) ounces, ever fit for the boys whose adoration was mutual. As if by magic, Minnie kept her soft, lush fur seamlessly white, and her little face was so short and pert that "cute" may as well of been a nickname. Even at eight years, balding and with cataracts, people asked if she was a baby! Ah, I laughed about that. All of our six grown boys adored Minnie, the flaming little flirt. By the time she crossed, though, she carried herself like a little "Queen Mother". She loved to dance for her wood- carved Moroccan rattle, and when we tapped a little plastic Easter wand that had come in some flowers she also went wild, such a strong, driven little soul! Minnie loved her mother Claudette, a gorgeous Southern-souled albino who crossed over more than a year ago. As "Ladybird" Claudette lay breathing her last husband Dad Janos brought Minnie to where I lay on the couch holding "Momma". In the sweetest, most touching goodbye, Minnie laid her jaw gently alongside her mom's, then looked over and licked my tear-streaked cheeks, as if to say "don't worry Mom, I'll take care of Big Mommy now!". Then she put her mouth to her mommy's ear in a kiss or whisper of goodbye. Finally she lay her head under the blankey on her mother's shoulder just as Claudette breathed her very last slow, deep breaths. As Claudette crossed, Minnie poofed for her mommy, who had been de- poofed, then curled into a little ball at my side. In a few minutes Minnie got down and did a sweet and wild little war dance, as if celebrating her mother's release from the burden of lymphoma-induced diabetes. Next Minnie and I went out to the porch and the little 20-ounce albino spitfire stood beneath our wrought-iron railing looking up into the flaming colors of the setting February sun, as if watching her momma winging away. Oh, how true that ferrets steal not just your heart, but also your soul! Minnie, fearless heart whooshing away, battled insulinoma successfully for more than a year, and Lupron did not fend off approaching baldness, though she overcame pneumonia last winter. Only days after we lost sweet Lucy post-surgery, Minnie - quite the rickety little gal by now - faltered and, despite our attempts to save her, was gone in two weeks. Lucy's passing, so recent, was sudden, and perhaps she needed Minnie's help to guide the way. Or perhaps Minnie's heart couldn't withstand, without the morning and nightly ritual of Lucy's kisses turning her tiny white head into newborn chicken fluff. Minnie's passing ends, for now, our era of ten ferrets over so many years. I see all their faces before me, so sweet and wonderful - how I miss them so! Bless them all at the bridge now awaiting mom and dad.... Thank you all for being here. I will keep reading the FML and seeing my nephew ferrets Monty and Madison, and other friends' ferrets. I will keep ferrety smelling things around. How I love their smells, ears like dandelions, bodies lily-of-the-valley shrub, and tails the most exotic Eastern incense. How far we traveled from the early days of our first furling Gadzook, who for a short time got something in his water to attempt to make him smell ferret free! How fondly I recall over the course of a week getting nine ferret books in the mail from the King County Library. I also shall always remember fondly my long stint as moderator of the Ferret Adrenal Insulinoma Mailing List, and shall always be so thankful for our grand vet, Cindy, and many other vets who helped, on- line and off. Goodbye Minnie our sweet, our little doll! Mom and dad, Aunty Kate and Uncle Bill, cousins Monty and Madison, are missing you but glad you are no longer old and ill. Be well and give all our love to Lucy, Claudette, Gadzook, Wally, Tarzan, Petey, Percy, Schroeder Boat, and Squeek (and his siblings Erb and the two unnamed) and Wellington the cat! Dance in white-furred abandon and glee once again our sweety-pie Little Goose!! Momma Lynn and Dad Janos [Posted in FML issue 3900]