In response to the poster who was surprised anyone could keep a ferret outside because they would immediately run away...why do you think that? In other times and places, people have kept ferrets in their barns to control mice. And there have been occasional posters to the FML who let their fuzzies go outside unsupervised. I find it unlikely that any ferret of normal intelligence would forget where he lived, however there are other reasons I think letting a ferret run outside is unwise (or even a cat). First, it is documented that outdoor CATS have significantly shorter average lifespans. When I was a kid, we had five outdoor cats at one time. One disappeared without a trace. It broke my heart. Another disappeared. We found her after a week. She had wandered into someone's garage and been trapped there. She died shortly after we got her to the vet. It was too late. Another cat got some weird cat disease (dry feline peritonitis) which I don't believe she would have got if she hadn't been outside. Out of the five, only two died of "natural" causes. Now, for ferrets, there are other hazards waiting. Stray dogs are a serious threat, and even in the country (especially in the country) they are common. Traffic can also squash your ferret very fast. Raptors may eat them (if they are not lardbutts like mine). And, of course, they can fight with wild animals and become injured or contract rabies. Then there are the neighbors who don't like having your cat use their garden for a litter box or kill their songbirds. How do you think they would like having your ferret steal their socks, raisins, slippers, garden tools, dig in their flowerbed, attack their toes, etc. :) Keep your pets indoors or on a leash. -Catherine [Posted in FML issue 1790]