I've been finding the discussion about people's ferrets that have died very moving. I was epecially touched by Linda Boulis' beautiful poem. And my heart goes out to Peter & Graziella on the tragic loss of little Fredi. Ferrets are very special little beings. I am sure that everyone's ferrets who died greatly appreciate all of the love that they received while they were here. *** A couple of issues ago, someone mentioned heartworm in ferrets. Can they actually get heartworm?? Do they need to be tested for it? *** Re: using bitter apple on a ferret to keep another one from biting. Well, Cinderella still doesn't like Norman. I would be willing to try bitter apple, but wouldn't that be upsetting to Cinderella to find herself covered with this awful smelling stuff? Also, what would happen if she tried to clean herself? Is it safe? Norman was abused when he was young (in a pet store) so he is quite a biter. I don't know if he is actually biting Cinderella (I know he bites me!), or if she just doesn't like him, period. She really shrieks when he jumps on top of her. Does anyone have helpful advice for working with an abused ferret? He is quite playful but seems to think that biting is part of normal interaction (with me). I think some of it is from being abused, and some of it is from not having been socialized. Re: pet stores. I personally would be happy to see a ban on the selling of cats, dogs, ferrets and other animals from pet stores. There are too many people out there who buy on impulse or who should not have a pet, and most stores will sell to anyone who can pay for an animal. Ferrets in particular are just not for everyone. Although I am disappointed to hear that Fund for Animals is working against legalization (is this actually true?), I understand their concerns and think that something could be worked out with them. I think it would be very helpful for a ferret person from NY to sit down with someone from the Fund and discuss the situation with them. Perhaps the compromise would be that ferrets could not be sold in pet stores. I really think it's important to work together with other animal groups since we all care about what happens to animals. On a lighter note. This weekend I went to a delightful workshop with Penelope Smith on communicating with animals. In one exercise, we used guided imagery to connect with a particular animal. When I tuned into Cinderella, I felt I was riding on a white horse, carrying a banner and yelling "Charge!" and then singing the theme song from Man of La Mancha ("I am I, Don Quixote..."). This is certainly how Cinderella looks at life--as an adventure to be lived to the fullest! P.S. Chris--Are we supposed to be putting return marks at the end of each line? Can you please clarify, thanks! [Not knowing quite what is meant by "return marks", I'm not sure. However, your article above was perfect, so if that's what you meant by "return marks", please keep it up! ;-)] --Cinderella & Norman's mom in Massachusetts [Posted in FML issue 0854]