To Michelle & baby with boo boo: My 3 week old kitten had a similar problem with his eye. He had just begun to open one eye but his other eye looked abnormally larger (large lump where is eye was forming). He also had matter in his eye area. I took a washcloth and wetted it with warm water and wiped his eye area to clear away any debris. It could be the tear duct is clogged and is causing the inflammation. Using the warm, wet washcloth to gentle wipe the eye area may help keep the ducts clear and help soothe and heal the eye. He gradually was able to open his other eye after several days of frequently applying the cloth. His eyes are perfectly normal today. I hope this helps your baby. To Janice Underwood & others about nutrition: Janice, I hope your little one, V'orri is feeling better after undergoing such a stressful operation. I have a request that I hope you can help with. You mentioned that you are working on nutrient comparisons in commonly used ferret diets. I would greatly appreciate it if you could share some of your findings on what the max. protein levels are for healthy maintenance for younger ferrets vs. older, less active ferrets. Since I have both, I feed them according to their age & activity level. My concern is, what is too low a protein & fat level for ferrets? My 2 yr. olds eat Iams kitten, while my 4-6 yr. olds get a mixture of less active & maintenance cat food (Iams). Is the less active with 28% prot. & 14% fat too low even though it is high quality protein and mixed in with the 32% prot. & 21% fat of the reg. cat food? Also I would like some opinions about the preservative Ethoxyiquin. It is found in both Hill's Science diet & Iams cat food. I have heard several reports that it is harmful to ferrets. Is this just rumored opinions or is this based on scientific evidence? I would appreciate any information on this subject. Thanks. To Melissa & Potpie; Maybe a bath given once a week might be too much & could strip the natural oils from the skin. There are shampoos made especially for the musky odors of a ferret. I've never tried any but I have tried a shampoo that contains lanolin that helps the dry skin and is made for ferrets, kittens and puppies. There is a spray made for dry skin that is applied after the bath and rubbed into the fur, and is usually carried by most vets and pet supply stores. About your problem with your ferret digging in the potted plants, I had the same situation. I have several large plants that I can't put on shelves. I took a piece of pliable cardboard or poster board, and wrapped it around the pot so that the height was enough that the ferret couldn't climb over it & get into the pot. I taped the cardboard securely onto the pot with strong masking tape. I also wrapped twine around the pot to hold the cardboard on in case the tape failed to hold. I decorated the outside of the cardboard with sticky shelf paper to make it look alittle nicer. This has worked for me, I hope it helps. About the digging at the carpet, there have been several suggestions on the list. Spraying the area with Bitter Apple or laying a piece of plexiglass plastic cover on the area are just a few. Good luck! To Anon regarding cats vs. ferrets: I've had my own experience with the curiosity of cats. When my kitten was about 2 months old, I tried to introduce him to my ferrets. I slowly lowered the kitten down to let Teebone sniff him. Instead of a curious sniff he latched onto the kittens paw. Luckily it was not a bite, just a sign that he didn't consider the kitten a friend. About 4 months later the kitten was 5 lbs. heavier and alot bolder. He came into the ferret area after I chased him out. He was hiding behind a box when Weezul slowly meandered by the box. I don't think the ferret saw the cat, I think he picked up his scent. Weezul leaped behind the box and latched onto the cats' retreating hind leg. All I saw was fur and claws and heard the pitiful howl of the cat. I finally got them separated, Weezul without a scratch on him and the cat with a long gash on his leg. The cat still has not learned. He is always at the closed door to the ferret area, waiting for that rematch? Some ferrets get along beautifully with other animals, but not my wild men. Judy Gallipeau & the wild bunch. (Cats, I thought cats were for dessert?) [Posted in FML issue 0727]