Dear Ferret Folks- Thank you for the many messages I received about Alex's breathing and whole hobs. I vacced out the sofa and washed all of the bedding. I made the bed with the clean stuff and Alex spent last night in it quite comfortably, no problems. I took the sheets from the bed and wrapped them in a plastic bag then taped it shut so that ferrets can't "contaminate" it before the next sleep over. I will never know if Caff-Pow really set off that asthma attack/swollen eyes episode. Alex was having a very bad breathing day before he was tucked into bed the other night. He had to use his rescue inhaler a few times and was home from school. Truth be told, I think he would have benefited from being nebulized but I don't keep that equipment here at my house. (A nebulizer makes a 'fog' of medicated vapor that you breath through a mask or a tube.) Alex has been tested for a number of allergens and we've identified a few of the really bad ones, but I doubt they tested him for hob! The poor kid is allergic to latex,and that makes childhood harder than it should have to be. (Think no helium baloons, for starters.) Just to be on the safe side I am going to start the research into getting Caff-Pow neutered. I'm starting to wonder if he has anything to do with the fact that I have had slightly itchy/sticky eyes for the last few weeks...right when the nads appeared. Perhaps not. Because of all the rain we have had *insane amounts* of mold and mildew here in New England. My mother, who frankly loathes ferrets, has volunteered to help me with it financially. Actaully, she said "I'll neuter him if you hold him." Ah, no. She IS a doctor, after all. She is also a wise-ass. He is four months old now and has visibly descended nads. He is already twice the size of Todd, and he can beat the snot out of the eight pound cat who flees from his attention. I'm thinking of a neuter date of five, not six months as I had already planned. That still beats the heck out of neutering him on, say, a pet store schedule. And BY THE WAY...Caff-Pow still has four sisters available. His brother is spoken for. This is the litter of kits that Danee Devore raised, the kits from Val. Remember the video that Danee put up of their birth? I have met them and they are absolutely *beautiful*. So is Val, and her mate O'Roarke. I can vouch for Caff-Pow as being physically very robust and attractive with a good sense of fun. He has noticably calmed down from the worst of his kit "I will put everything in my mouth, especially your toes" days. He is fearless and curious and was born to play. And he has never poofed, although he is quite capable of it. These are lovely hand raised ferrets from a repuatble breeder on the east coast. And they need hoomins, and forever homes. I am so grateful that I have Caff-Pow in mine. *Everybody* likes Caff-Pow. Except my Mom! Alexandra in MA [Posted in FML 6378]