I really did not intend to reply to any more posts on the subject of raw feeding, but I just could not ignore this particular post. IMO, Nancy not only owes Kim an apology but also needs to take her own advice and seek help for her own issues. I see her posts as good examples of mirroring, that is, an attempt to displace her own psychological issues onto Kim as a way of not having to face and deal with them. Her current attempts to demonize the feeding of live prey with the same sensationalized and inaccurate tactics that were previously used by others to scare people off feeding a natural diet only serve to point out her own inability to deal with the actual facts. She also apparently ignores the health benefits of feeding a raw/whole prey diet, as such ferrets rarely develop the gastrointestinal diseases and insulinomas which are so common in kibble fed ferrets. It appears that the damage already done to the pancreas by a high carbohydrate diet can't be reversed, but a natural diet can minimize further damage and can lead to a longer, healthier life. While we do not feed live prey to our ferrets, due to the high cost of obtaining them, I support those who do as it is excellent enrichment and, in most cases, a quicker and more painless death than the commercially available frozen mice who are killed with CO2. All those I know who feed live prey have said their ferrets kill quickly and efficiently, so that the mouse does not suffer. I find it very puzzling that those who are so angry about feeding live prey seem to have no problems with the way the meat they eat is slaughtered. It's too bad they aren't willing to put some of that same passion into working for a quick, painless death for cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens. [Posted in FML 6896]