"how many of you, had no close pets as children, but later in life became animal and ferret people?" This would be me. My parents are most definitely not pet-people. And we were a sailing family so pets didn't really "fit" since we were often away on trips on the boat. I had a couple of gerbils as a kid and that was it. As a teen we had a couple of cats but they were more "Mom's cats". When I got out on my own I got a cat. Then a second cat. And a dog a few years after that. It wasn't till just eight years ago that I became a ferret owner. Over the years now I've lost a dog, four cats and three ferrets. I know have one dog, two cats and seven ferrets. And I'm closer to them than I am my family. I would say I definitely made up for my pet-deprived childhood :) - Laura and The Seattle Seven at http://www.ferretocious.com [Posted in FML issue 5268]