About 25 years ago, I just had a cat and was looking to get another pet that was a little different and was thinking about getting a rabbit. A co-worker of mine was always telling me crazy stories about her son's ferrets. I had never heard of or seen a ferret before. When I went to her house for her 50th birthday party, her son introduced me to Slinky, one of his three ferrets. I fell in love with Slinky immediately! I said "I don't know what this thing is, but I've got to have one!" I went out and bought a little cage, kitten food and some toys. Then I went to the local pet store in town that carried ferret kits and picked one out. A tiny black sable kit I named Lucy. She was a holy terror and got into everything! I learned really quickly all about ferret proofing! She was a real sweetheart tho! For sure, the smartest and most emotional ferret I have ever had or met. I soon went back to the pet store and brought home a tiny, shy, white-footed sable girl I named Greta. Greta was Lucy's sidekick. Where Lucy went, Greta followed. They had opposite personalities but they complimented each other and were best friends. Since then, I have had 7 more, two of which I have now, Chelsea and Moose. The only time I haven't had ferrets was the 2 years I lived in California. :o( Back then, there wasn't much information about ferrets in books, so I looked on-line. I found the FML and discovered the "Modern Ferret" magazine. I learned a lot from both sources. I also made several good friends along the way. Ferrets are my life. Some people think I am crazy but I don't care. My ferrets have been there for me in good times and bad, and know when I am down and need a kiss or a good laugh to bring me back up. Sometimes I call them my "therapets". Friends tell me I take better care of my animals than most people take care of their kids. That is a nice compliment, but my ferrets ARE my kids! My customers call me the "ferret lady" and my brother calls me the "ferret whisperer". :o) Barbara "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Anatole France [Posted in FML 8183]