Not exactly ferrets, but...Whoever was looking for stories on animals saving people's lives, please e-mail me with your address if you want a copy: The front page of today's Boston Herald had a poignant account of a dog waking up 10 people (including 6 children) as a fire raced through their house. The dog went from bed to bed, waking the children by nuzzling them and pulling their hair. One man died as he went back in to make sure everyone was out, also trying to rescue another dog and several cats. (The Globe picked up an uninspired AP version of the story which briefly mentioned a smoke alarm and "barking dogs.") Squeaky toy noises... Though Cinderella, Ralph & Harry were kept separate from their cousins Nellie and Sophie for most of the weekend, a few introduction attempts were made. At one point, Cinderella was thoroughly licking a SND (sleeping not dead) Nellie. Another time, Ralph was trying to introduce himself to a reluctant Sophie, who backed herself under a cabinet. Although Ralph is easily twice Sophie's size, he is quite mellow and *really* wasn't even touching her. However, Sophie let out a loud shriek that sounded exactly like a squeaky toy. She did this a few times; my interpretation was, "Back off, you big slug!" So this is some type of distress call, which may explain why some ferrets go berserk when they hear certain squeaky toys. Petsitting Anna and Kelleen--I think that's great that you're ferret-sitting. Anna, I think your plan for taking care of and returning the ferrets is a good one--I hope this person is genuinely ignorant, not just neglectful, and will want to take better care of his ferrets. It would be great if he brought them back to you another time and they looked better. I use petsitters a lot, having lots of animals. I'm really lucky to have wonderful fml-reading, fuzzy-owning friends nearby who have babysat my fuzzbeans. But for the cats and dog, I have used the services of several people. I think it's great if they give me a form to fill out asking for info, because at least I feel they want to know about my animals, their vet, etc. etc. I also leave detailed notes, emergency #'s, etc. I really appreciate *any* feedback I get from petsitters, though it's rare! (I think having the ferrets in your home is more conducive to interacting with the owners because you see them when they come back.) Anyway, good luck to both of you, I am sure you are fantastic petsitters! To Mike: Congratulations on adopting Ricky and Lucy! I hadn't thought of it, but I agree with Anna--if possible, three is a good number--because when the sad event happens and one eventually dies, at least the other still has company. Just a thought. To Gilligan--you sound a bit like Norman, whose creativity and ingenuity I really miss. However, have your mom and dad considered a vet exam re: the marking/spraying? Just to make sure it's not a physical problem. Good luck, and tell your mom not to toss that computer out the window-- how would she read the fml? :-) --Ronnie Cinderella (yes, I am very good at cleaning other ferrets) Ralph (I'm going in to work tomorrow, oh boy!) Harry (how come I can't chase the cats?) [Posted in FML issue 1426]