After six years (FML #2540, 12-28-98), five different email addresses (thanks for nothing, Nigerian 419 scammers), and countless stories and tips exchanged, this will be my final contribution and final communication to the Ferret Mailing List. Today (01-07-05), my ferret friend Bubonis passed away quietly in her sleep after nearly eight years of life. I will tell you a little about her life so that you can start to know her as I did. Bubonis gained her name after the Latin word for "owl", so named because as a kit she had two little tufts of hair at the top of her head that just wouldn't stay down. They reminded me of the "ears" on a Great Horned Owl and the name just stuck. She had many nicknames including Bubo, Weasel, Bubo-Butt, Weasel-Face, Bubosity, Stinky-Butt, and simply "The Bubo". Bubo was purchased from the pet store in Newport Center Mall in Jersey City, NJ, during the summer of 1997 (just after I moved to Jersey City). I saw her on a Tuesday playing in a pen with three other ferrets; Bubo was the only silver amidst three sables. I thought she was the brightest star in the store but I didn't get her right away. At the time I already had two ferrets, Rascal and Sprinkles. I knew Rascal wouldn't mind another ferret but Sprinkles (who was not descented) could be a problem. Since it was the beginning of the week I didn't want to commit myself to a new ferret only to have to leave her alone for most of the day for the rest of the week while I was at work. I resigned myself to not having her, and left the store. The following Saturday I returned to the store shortly before closing time, fully expecting her to be gone. I was astonished to see that she was still there; in fact she was the ONLY ferret in the store, the sables having been sold during the week. I had less than an hour before the store closed so I ran home (I lived only 10 minutes away from the store at the time), put Sprinkles in my jacket pocket, and ran back to the store. The store employee let me handle Bubo and Sprinkles together to see how they'd react. Sprinkles wanted to be dominant but it was clear she was willing to accept the newcomer. The three of us returned home and spent much of the weekend -- and several years thereafter -- learning about each other. Once Sprinkles established her dominance over Bubo, everyone got along nicely and Bubo effectively became the peacemaker between new ferrets and Sprinkles. Bubo was always the first one to make new friends with the new ferrets that came in, and always the last ferret to stand with her adopted family when their times came. It was Bubo who rode in the carrier with Rascal on her final trip to the hospital; it was Bubo who cuddled up next to Snippet on those first few nights; it was Bubo who welcomed Pippin to the fold and sometimes literally got between Sprinkles and Pippin during Pippin's adjustment; it was Bubo who laid next to Sprinkles on her final night; and it was Bubo who stood guard over Pippin on her passing. If there were ever a ferret that defined nobility, Bubo was it. Bubo loved the warm sun. She loved being out in the warm grass. She loved sleeping in her hammock, which now serves as her shroud. She loved her rope-knot toys. She loved her CheWeasels. She loved her Honey Nut Cheerios. She loved dancing around a towel that was being dragged across the floor. She loved being flipped onto her back and having her sides tickled while she flip-flopped like a fuzzy noodle. She loved sleeping in the bed under my desk while I worked at the computer. She loved raisins and strawberry-vanilla Toob Snax, even if they did give her diarrhea. She loved stealing sips of (lactose-free) milk from my glass. She loved exploring plastic bags that were strategically left on the floor for her. She... Well, she just loved. It's hard for me to remember her without noting her struggle at the end. Bubo became increasingly tired and less active. Her eating and bathroom habits changed. She couldn't quite make it up the small ledge where her sleeping bag is, and she just gave up trying to get into the hammock. There's a hundred other things that I'm sure Bubo missed out on but I have to try and remember only the good things. Suffice to say Bubo spent the past week warm and clean and comfortable. She was in a heated cage while I was at work, she stayed by my side when I was home, and she slept in one of her many makeshift beds at my bedside every night. I came home from work this evening, took off my coat, put the mail on the table, and went to her cage to check on her. She was curled up as if asleep, but she wasn't sleeping any more. Bubo was gone. The last two times I'd posted about the passing of one of my ferrets I was often advised to get another ferret. Please, if you feel the urge to reply to this, please don't try to tell me to get another one. I don't see myself getting any more ferrets, at least not any time in the foreseeable future. I've had six of them over the past 13 years or so and it's just too painful when they go. Ferrets are wonderful, beautiful, crazy little bundles of joy that can't help but rip your heart out when they leave. They don't mean to. It just happens. But I can't do it any more. I have set up a small web memorial for Bubo for those interested. You can find it here: http://www.happymac.us/bubonis/ Good bye, Bubo. You were my love and my friend. I couldn't have asked for more. [FH] [Posted in FML issue 4751]