I think everyone who has already replied to this topic has hit the nail on the head. I add my story for support and possibly a bit more understanding... My husband and I have been married for almost 2 years. We knew we wanted children, and we started trying right away. (Sooner we have 'em, sooner they graduate and we can retire, right? LOL Just a joke...) I have had 2 miscarriages. My life was completely torn apart, and depression ran my life for almost a year. After moping around and not leaving the house for about 2 weeks, my husband brought home the best surprise I have ever received. It was a female sable kit. My brother had ferrets, but I hadn't really ever been around them much. Crickett, our first ferret, stole my heart. All the maternal instincts kicked in and was like therapy. I had something to hold, something to love, something to care for. Something innocent, childlike, and depended on me. I later adopted Gus-Gus from a wonderful foster home in Texas so Crickett would have ferret-company. Unfortunatly, he couldn't stay with us long. After 9 months of loving him, he passed away. The vets say he ate something that punctured where his intestines and stomach meet, and he was leaking enternally. When we knew there was something wrong, I took him to the vet. The X-ray didn't show anything, and I had to make the decision to do an exploratory surgery. There they found the hole. They fixed it, but it was too late. In the wee hours of the new year 2001, he passed. I was inconsolable for days, until I read the Rainbow Bridge poem. It makes losing a fuzzie easier if you think of it that way. Just as in life! Most people believe in a heaven, and it's nice to think that all their loved ones are waiting there for them. I currently have 3 ferrets, and one beagle who thinks he's a ferret. We're still trying to have kids, although it is depressing each time the test says "no", and scary each time it says "yes" because I don't know if I will be blessed with a child, or have to go through the pains of miscarriage again. We're not giving up. When the time comes that I deliver a healthy child, I will not get rid of the ferrets, nor will the ferrets have priority over my child. I agree with everyone who has said, "it's a different bond, a different love". Yes, I refer to my ferret as my "kids". I feed them, play with them, watch them grow, and see the innocence and their dependence on me to provide for them and love them. If that makes me a "fanatic", then I will proudly carry the banner of such. But I know I am NOT the only ferret "fanatic" out there. I started a Texas ferret club, a Georgia ferret club, and just recently came up with the F.A.B (Fuzzy Army Brats) Club. With the exception of F.A.B (because I haven't told or invited anyone yet), people with similar ideals have joined, so I know I'm not alone. Yes, my mother still laughs at me when I send her pictures of her grand-ferrets, but she doesn't judge me for it. That's what's great about this country. Everyone is entitled to their belief and opinion. I'm not flaming or bashing Annoyed for sharing hers. I'm just exercising MY freedom and sharing my opionion, and asking her to try to understand where some of us are coming from. I apologize for being long-winded. Meant for this to be short and sweet, but emotions ran away with me. Love and ferret kisses, Jessica, and my "furkids": Crickett, the boss Rascal, the klepto George, the now BIG baby Fred, the ferret BEAGLE missing our beloved Gus-Gus, the big-boned (Hey! I'm not fat, I'm just big boned!) ===== Lone Star Ferrets Website: http://www.geocities.com/lone_star_ferrets Lone Star Ferrets Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lonestarferrets Peachy Ferrets Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/peachyferrets Fuzzy Army Brats Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/fuzzyarmybrats [Posted in FML issue 3906]