It is with a very heavy heart that I pass on the news of the passing of our beloved Romeo, who was helped to the Bridge on Tuesday, August 24, 2004. A wonderful chocolate adoptee, he came to live with us at about two years of age in February of 2001 with his partner-in-fur, Valentine. He was a fan of biting at first, but through love and infinite amounts of patience, we managed to wean him down to the occasional I want to get down or leave me alone finger bite and he never drew blood. When he was really feeling gentle, he would simply nose the offending finger out of his personal space, whether it was the hammie or just his area. He battled insulinoma and IBD for the last two years of his life through surgery and many weight gains and losses. He stopped playing hard a few months ago, but when he was well, the fur would fly and the dooks were deafening :-) I m sure he s found his business of Grommie, Quincy, Phineas, Phoebe, Walton, and Valentine by now could you find him and tell him that I m sorry? His daddy and I went on vacation, and while we were away he must have gotten stressed out to the point that his glucose dropped and he couldn t get it back up. When we returned, his wonderful sitter-mom told us that he hadn t been eating within twenty four hours of getting him home, he wouldn t eat or drink, his back end wasn t working, and he was cold and limply stiff. Most telling of all, he wouldn t give me kisses. You know how some ferrets are just more one parent s than the other s? He was my boy. He loved me most he would follow me around like a puppy but then he d bite to get down if you picked him up. We called him the little proximator, since he liked to be in near proximity to the people but in his own space. Tell him we miss him and love him and make sure he s got his Yogis stashed safely away. Tell him to be on the look out for our message - we always send an "I Love You" balloon to the Bridge after one of our children goes. Thank you, Caitie [Posted in FML issue 4621]