As some of you may know Pest R Doodle was showing those signs of excessive age. The sleeping almost 24x7 except to get up to eat and poop was a clear sign of those symptoms a ferret displays when the end is near. Yesterday she did that solid all day and in the evening when I come to the family room she always greets me expecting a treat. She was not there yesterday, she slept thru it all under my sweat shirt with not a move. I reached under all that and felt her to be sure she was ok, she was but she wasn't moving more than to give my hand a kiss which she always did. Normally in the late evening I take her to my bedroom where she gets up under the bed spread to curl up and sleep with me thru the night. Last night I knew she was not in her regular mode so left her in the cage to sleep the night. I didn't think she was well enough to stay with me. This morning when I got up the first thing I did, as always, was to check on Pester. This morning she was on the second floor of her cage but under the hammy she always loved. She was laying on the carpet under the hammy on her stomach with fore legs stretched out front. It seemed she tried to get into the hammy and was not able. She was totally unresponsive and fur was not warm. Her eyes, one was closed the other was open just a slit. I picked her up to look for signs of her movements but there were none. After a bit I set her back into the cage on top of her favorite sweat shirt hoping for her to eventually move, but she didn't. I checked for breathing but there was no sign. I could not detect a heartbeat. She passed only an hour before I got up. Pest R. Doodle had crossed the bridge peacefully. I got her as a rescue with Peek A Boo thru the shelter in Annandale, Va. , Ferrets First. Peek A. Boo had a huge cancer that took over the whole right side of her head and face. Was a huge ugly growth that took her. These were inseparable. There is a picture of then curled up sleeping in Joe Bear's FML Calendar, a shot I had waited for seemingly for ever to get with the camera, and I did. They came from West Va. where at least one owner, most likely two turned them in to the SPCA who kept them for a very long time. The SPCA was about to put them both down where they needed the room and no one would take them. Sight unseen I volunteered to take them. Someone in W. Va. went to the shelter and got them, brought them to his home and kept them till he went bowling and then passed them off to Robin of the shelter. Robin then gave them to a friend who was going to Maryland and was kind enough to drive to Fredericksburg, Va. where I met her and picked them both up to bring here. These two had been around the block for sure but they found that forever home. I will take Pester to the place where the dozen or so other ferrets I have given forever homes to are resting and let her join them. She was probably about six years old, I have had her for four years and she was more than a year old when I got her. She was at least two years old and possibly three so Pester had a relatively long life for a ferret. She gave me tons of laughs and good fun for those years. Always full of kisses for me and lots of companionship. For sure I will be at a loss for her absence. Now I don't have a ferret, just a huge empty cage. Sigh. Gordon _12-2Addy CEO [Posted in FML 7350]