This lurker's legal! The MI governer signed the bill yesterday, and ferrets are now legal in Michigan. I was so excited when I found out, I called my apartment and left a message for my critters, hoping they would be awake to hear it. Well, they were, and that was a BIG mistake! Let me explain... In the past I was always perplexed when I read in the FML about the problems people had with their ferrets - missing the litterbox, stealing things, being destructive. I just didn't get it, because in the two years that I've owned my four babies they have always been perfect angels - never any trouble at all. I would come home from work and they would rub up against me, and after I took off my shoes they would gently carry them to the closet for me. After dinner they would curl up in my lap as I read the paper. Every couple of weeks or so they would drag in the nail clippers to remind me that it was time for a trim, and once a month they would lead me into the bathroom so they could get their bath. I decided that you all must have "problem" ferrets. Well, I got home from work yesterday (after the ferrets got the message) and my apartment was trashed. I mean, the place was a total mess. The critters had got out of their cage and absolutely destroyed the place. The couch was ripped to shreds, there was poop all over the floor, the refrigerator was open and a half-empty can of beer was on the floor, and I smelled cigarette smoke in the bathroom (and although i didn't actually catch any of them smoking, Sydney did have nicotine stains on her claws). Milo was going deep-sea diving in the fishtank, and three mollies were missing. Winkie and Beaner had made a pile of my best shoes and were just about to set them afire when I walked in. They had run amok! I finally cornered them up on the bookcase, where they begain taking turns pushing crystal figurines off the highest shelf. As I threatened them (for the first time ever) the glared at me with a look in their eyes and said "or else what, you'll turn us in? HA HA HA!" and continued their free-for-all. Since then they've been pure demons - they have the upper hand now and they know it. My angels have turned into minions of the devil... The moral of the story is that those of you in MI who haven't told your babies that they're legal may want to think twice about it - after all, THEY don't really need to know, do they? Best wishes to all for a Happy and Safe Holiday! Matthew Hepp Northville, MI! [Posted in FML issue 1052]