Little Yogi, the mouse ferret, never was one for snuggles and such--at least not from hoomans. "Not that there's anything wrong with them, you understand," she was known to say with her nose atwitch, "but they're no ferrets." A good ankle nibble, a rousing chase, and serving up snacks; that's what hoomans were good for in her book. Snuggles?! Hah! She and her hooman had an understanding--well, except for the ankle biting--and everything was going well. But one day Yogi started to shake. And she shook and shook and shook and couldn't stop. And her hooman held her until it was over, and gave her sweet stuff, and suddenly the snuggles didn't seem so bad. So little Yogi traded bites for snuggles. She and her hooman had a new understanding, one involving kisses and soup and pred--whatever that is. And they were very happy for a long, long time. But the story isn't over. After a while, little Yogi began to lose her hair so that within six or seven weeks her tiny head and shoulders were all nakey. The other ferrets began to nibble her ears and try to make her squeak. (Except Cookie and Buddy, but that's another story.) And she was very, very sad because really (as we have seen) Yogi was, at heart, a ferret's ferret. Her hooman took her in to get the nasty invader parts taken out of her, but the vet said Yogi wasn't strong enough--she needed lupron, whatever that is. Just think! The legendary conqueror of many ankles, has come to this! "Don't worry, little mousie-warrior, little Yogi-ferret," said the hooman, "I'll make lovely bedding to sell, and I'll keep selling it until your problems are all fixed and you can conquer my ankles yet again." "What about the other ferrets, silly hooman? In the place with all the cages where you found me and saw how special I was?" "The shelters? Good idea, mousie-mouse. If you promise to stay alive while I raise money for Lupron, I promise to split the money with ferrets in shelters." So once again, little Yogi and her hooman had an understanding. It just goes to show, it pays to take the time to train your hooman. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZwclovergalQQhtZ-1 Cross post all over the place! [Posted in FML issue 5162]