Pam - This is not intended to be a flame. Heck, it ain't even warm. Tater and Odie have thrived on Purina Kitten Chow. It's all that Tater has ever eaten. When Odiie came to live with us, Doug told us that he was used to Iams, so I hocked a couple of cats and bought him a big ol' bag of the stuff. Guess what? He refused to eat it. He preferred the Purina that his new bubba ate. I kept up with the debate about the best foods for ferts that keeps pooping up on the FML. I hocked a few more cats (where do they keep coming from?) and bought some Totally Ferret and other 'specially blended foods' for ferrets. I wanted the guys to have only the best. Same result. They both refused to eat the stuff. I guess they know best what is good for them. Odie was about half of Tater's size when he came to live here. Tater has always been bright-eyed, bushy tailed and gorgeous - even in the summertime. Odie has rapidly caught up to his younger brother. He's now a bit larger than Tater, has the bushiest tail I've ever seen, and has fur that is almost as soft a rabbit-type bunny's. They both saw the Vet last week for their annual checkups and booster shots. The Vet pronounced them both to be hale and hearty. Your letter did make me think so I checked the labels on the Purina, Iams and TF.. basically the same stuff - animal protein and all. I wouldn't want to eat any of them myself, but the guys seem to be doing just fine on what they chose for themselves. Well, guess I'll go put on my asbestos underwear. I know that you wouldn't flame me over this, but somebody probably will. Tenaka and Cayanne - I'm glad that you talked some sense into Bryan. Being owned by ferrets does take a little getting used to. I never will forget the first night that Tater spent with us. I woke up at about 3AM to find him dancing and hissing all over the bed. I asked Mee Maw what was wrong with the critter. She just rolled over and muttered, "That's just how he plays." It's even better now that we have two ferrets going crazy at odd hours. Raisins Anonymous - I called the 800 number (even spelled it right) because Tater and Odie answered 'yes' to all of the questions. I got a recording that asked me for all of my credit card numbers. Oh well, I guess it's not a real Twelve Step Program. There sure is a lot of stuff like this going around these days. Mom (formerly known as Melissa) - I know how you feel. I've ended up on quite a few of these sublists myself. I've found that the best response is to ignore them. These folks eventually give up when I won't play with them and they go on to snark at somebody else. I guess they are having 'fun', but that kind of fun is beyond my ken. Loves and healing thoughts to all ferrets who aren't feeling so good today. Condolences and hugs to all folks who have lost their special friends lately. I wish I had the time to write personal letters to all of you; unfortunately, I don't. Know that my heart is with you in your time of sorrow. Many much loves, Paw Paw (the gimpy one) [Posted in FML issue 1664]