Around 6pm Monday night, 9 year old sable female ferret "Astro" died in her Mommy's arms. If you came to last October's Triangle Ferret Lovers club meeting, with guest speaker Dr. Jay Mackie on Geriatric Care, you met Astro. Astro was a great ambassador for all ferret-kind. Over the years, she helped win over unknowledgeable ferret hearts, and assisted with the healing of a handicapped person. She was loved in many states, by many people. Club member Cheryl Bricky took excellent care of Astro throughout her long life. Let's all hope we can provide the same for our own ferrets. Within the hour of Astro's death, I took Astro's body to Rollins Pathology for a necropsy (autopsy). We believe she died of old age, but she was palpitated a few days ago with a "lump" on the end of her spleen. Astro's *only* illness in her 9 years, was a possible infection last Fall. Hopefully, the pathologists' findings will help all ferret-kind in our fuzzy future. I trust Astro's spirit is at the Rainbow Bridge, fully restored to health and playing with new friends. Please keep off-liner Cheryl Bricky in your thoughts, sending healing thoughts as she is in great mourning. If you would like to send Cheryl a message, email it to me and I will forward to her. With bowed heads, Shari, Chipper & Gina [Posted in FML issue 2242]