On another note, Fara also sent me some interesting statistics regarding our furry friends [Fara? Aha!] to wit: "as for demographic data, FURO has kept same for a number pf years and, while a more current survey is welcome, we can tell you that: Ferrets are kept in 1 out of every 67 households in areas where ferret ownership is long established and had appeared to reach "saturation" levels; The average ferret owner owns: -6.2 ferrets -3.5 cats -2.9 dogs -0.25 horses. 50% of all ferrets under the age of 4.5 die by being crushed in the mechanisms of reclining chairs. 50% of all ferrets older than 5 will contract some form of cancer from which most ultimately die. The most common cancers in order of occurrence (reported to my office) are insulinoma, ovarian cancer in jills/ lymphosarcoma in the general population, skin cancers such as mast-cell tumors, and cancers affecting, if not having originated with, the liver. ... Best of luck with your survey" ... from a letter by Fara Shimbo of FURO dated 2-16-93 [I find the pet count averages a little hard to believe.] [Posted in FML issue 0423]