Good Morning! Again, so many people concerned about us and for the ferrets we care for due to the storm systems...I wish I could answer all of your emails and calls faster, but alas there is just not enough time. Things are changing hourly and I wanted to give a status report with updated information. We are destined to receive at least 6 more kids. One is a stray and it was just by happen-chance that the AC officer found out about the network bringing the ferrets to Raisins. It appears to be a little female silver that was found in a field after the first stormy weekend. The AC officer was called and she took the little one home rather than take it to the county shelter and has been caring for it for nearly two weeks now. She was trying to find its owner with no luck and then she heard about the rescue groups' coalition with the Red Cross and got word to me about this little one and she will arrive tomorrow with 5 others from neighboring middle Tennessee counties. These kids are from farming communities and the owners are pretty much giving them up at this point. But they know that they do not have to make a final decision for a while. The transports are being made by relays and driven by volunteers of local rescue groups. The ferrets are being transported with cats only to prevent distemper exposure or other medical issues related to dogs. I am a bit worried about this little stray as the storms produced standing water and ..... mosquitos! Heart worms. We are in the process of working with a mobile veterinary clinic that will be coming this way next week to care for the ferrets received on this program. They have ordered the needed vaccines and a local vet with ferret experience will be tending to the ferrets for us. I just wish I knew which vet-local vets volunteer for this program and the national organization sponsors and pays for the unit and the equipment and medications. This is a tremendous help. At least, the ferrets will all be examined and vaccinated at no cost to Raisins....although I think this little stray should see our vet and be tested for heart worms. And the little guy, Trouble, should see our vet also. I suspect adrenal of some sort. This morning, not more than 30 minutes after leaving the house to go to my job in Memphis, I received a call from Joe, my fiancee', who said that 4 big Ferret Nation boxes arrived by a fellow driving a U-haul van. The driver told Joe that he was hired by a "personal representative of a Nashville resident" to drive boxes and boxes of pet-related items to several animal rescue groups in Memphis and in DeSoto County--including the Ferret Nation cage boxes to our address. He did not really offer much more information than that, but both men believe someone in the country music industry donated these cages as well as some other cages and equipment to other dog and cat rescue groups taking in pets from Nashville through the Red Cross program. Wow! Joe spent hours putting them together and now we have a better setup for some of our newest members with a little room to spare. I am ov erwhelmed with appreciation. There are no words - a true god-send! Unless we receive many more ferrets, I think the issue of cages has been resolved. And, we will be able to send the ferrets home with the cages we are not using to house other ferrets in shelter and help some families with a new start. That was our plan all along...to give to the families cages, bedding, bottle, bowls, toys, whatever they need to begin anew once they reclaim their pets. FEMA has advised that most of the flood victims need to discard all clothing and bedding items and furniture and the like due to contamination and bacteria. And, of course, the tornado victims have little left after the destruction. So, many of these families will need everything .. and we should be able to provide that. One last note before I go care for ferrets, all but one ferret in this program are "owned" ferrets and not strays and are not available for adoption or transport out of our shelter. Every rescue group on this program has agreed to house and care for these animals for their families and owners and will not be available for adoption or relocation unless surrendered by their owners in writing. And, Raisins has a verbal agreement with these owners as well and I will not violate that trust. I appreciate the offers to relocate the ferrets but this is not an option for us, at least not now. Again, many many thanks to all who have expressed words of encouragement, prayers, and donations of all sorts. I cannot tell you how much that means to me and to Joe and to the ferrets in our care. And, to their families and owners who have lost soo much these past few weeks. It means so much to these people that their pets are loved and cared for and waiting for them. God Bless You All, Maren in MS. [Posted in FML 6696]