Or rather that should be Earnest Williams... as my swimmer is a boy. Hey Bear came to our home last year as a surrender and was a pretty wound up, hyper little man. We soon learned that he had a great love of the water as he was constantly seen in our bathtub trying to turn on the faucets, and with his head submerged in the water dish. If we hear splashing, we can make a sure bet that it is him playing in the drink. We have other ferrets that love to play in water, but he loves it more than the rest. The other day, I was cleaning out the water station which consists of a brand new, never used as one, litter box as the base, and a stainless steel no-tip bowl inside. The two fit perfectly together. The problem is that the ferrets still love to play and sploosh the water around... an act I lovingly call, "puddling". I decided that I would try having only the box filled with water and see if that would help the water stay inside. Well, it didn't... It didn't take long for a certain ferret to make it his own private swimming pool... no longer having the stainless steel bowl hindering his efforts, he lay right smack dab in the middle. There is was, Hey Bear, fur all nicely waving around him as the water caught each hair in majestic grace. His body, totally submerged with only his head and neck above the water. He was sitting like a Sphinx and looking at me as if I was intruding upon his "bath time". Suddenly, out he pops like I have shot off a starting pistol, trailing the same amount of water that a 6 cup measuring cup holds. It wasn't hard to find him. All we had to do was follow the trail of water. He managed to find various items to help him dry off though... the couch, the rug, the new pile of freshly washed and folded laundry, the kitchen towels and my pants while I was still in them. Ferrets... they are a joy and a half. They make life so much more interesting! I hope to be reincarnated as a ferret for they have the most fun of all! betty and her blur o'fur for the love of ferrets [Posted in FML issue 4065]