It is with a heavy heart that I share the loss of another ferret, Joey, yesterday morning. He had been a sickly guy who I got about a year ago because the small animal rescue in town could not adopt him out. My name came up as a possible home for him - and I did take him in, along with his playmate DJ. We did pretty well, got him some needed vet attention and cared for the things that we could. He had a real zest for life - always the first one out of the cage for playtime, and the last one to go back in. Friday he didn't want to play, although he looked fine. Saturday, I woke up to find him barely hanging on to life. I got him to my vet's quickly, but within 15 minutes, he was gone. My vet found a tumor in his belly that engulfed all of his internal organs. I feel terrible; I should have noticed it of something. I'm down to 2 ferrets, I'm guessing about 5-6, and 7 years old. It's been a very rough year, this is the 6th pet I have lost in the past 10 months. I have actually changed my thesis topic to "Perceived social support following the death of a pet" because of my own experiences lately. Sandee, could you please watch for Joey and let me know that he meets up with the rest of the gang (Tigger & Jake [cats] and Buddy, P-Bear, & Wheelie [ferrets]). Thank you very much! Holly [Posted in FML issue 4795]