Mugsy's Tease

Written by Troy Lynn Eckart, F.B.S.

The other day Mugsy took his most prized possession, the TV remote.  That night I tore the futon apart, hoping it had just fallen under the cushion (o.k.  I know but I was hoping...).  After 15 minutes of frantic searching and finally realizing it just wasn't there I knew WHO had taken it.  I searched the house for a good hour without success.  I again searched in the morning before work and later that evening too.  I thought I could "outsmart" Mugsy and give him his second most prized possession, a syringe with a tiny bit of Amoxi, so I gave him just a taste and laid the syringe on the TV tray for him to take.  He just looked at me. I put the syringe on the futon in front of him.  He looked at me then proceeded to gingerly play with the syringe with eyes sparkling and mouth laughing.  He tossed it up and rolled it between his paws and kicked at it with his pack paws.  All the while laughing at me!  After a few minutes he lept off the bed and ran down the hall.  Ah Hah, I thought he would go check to make sure the remote was still in his hidey hole.  He ran into the front bedroom behind the mattress that stands up against the wall and... curled up with the other ferrets that were there, looking up at me as a picture of innocence.  Well several hours later I finally found the remote (I was determined to find it) under the curtain behind the medium wire cage in a very small space.  I only happened to see it when I was actually looking some place else, BUT we won't tell Mugsy that.  He's laughed enough at me for awhile... I really can't blame him, I laugh at myself a lot too. 

Drac E. La

Written by Troy Lynn Eckart, F.B.S.

Drac was kept in a small pet taxi, fed dog food, and unnamed for the first 3 years of his life.  Then his owner gave him to the pet store which in turn gave him to Nancy to care for.  The unnamed ferret became Drac E.  La. Nancy's ferrets share my home.  When Drac came to us there was something definitely wrong.  He had very little muscle control.  He didn't know how to climb and was constantly falling off of the couch.  It was probably 3 months before he could slowly climb and not fall.  More than a year later he still was not a "normal" ferret.  When Shari played with the ferrets and the clear tube, I had the opportunity to study his actions.  Drac plays
slowly and has to think about everything before he does it.  He doesn't run through the tubes like the others, he walks and stops to think about it several times.  Shari wrapped the tube around her shoulders and body.  The other ferrets would climb up and down and around with little, if any problem.  Drac was very slow and would get to a crook in the tube and stop, not willing to "chance" it.  It was sad to see.  Drac is mentally challenged and is very cautious and may physically not be able to do what the others do.  He gets frustrated easily because he is not as fast or agile as the others and often times his frustration is exhibited in anger. The others tolerate the anger and usually run off to find someone more fun to play with as Drac looks after them with his beautiful sad face.  We can't replace the vital exercise or nutrition that was missed the first 3 years of his precious little life but we can make it better from the time he came to us.  Drac is very much loved and we believe he is happy.  It makes my heart ache to think about his first 3 years but it warms my heart to see him contentedly curled up with a group of ferrets.  Someday we hope to see him play like a normal ferret, but perhaps that is a little unrealistic.

More Please

Written by Troy Lynn Eckart, F.B.S.

One night I had a mild case of vertigo (as if I'm not dizzy enough normally) so I was not as watchful with the ferrets as usual.  I had just finished recipe feeding one of the ferrets and I left the empty platter and half filled baby food jar on the carpet.  I was sitting on the futon. Skit came into the living room and looked at the empty platter and partially filled jar.  He ever so gently picked up the jar and brought it to me and just as gently sat it down by my feet without spilling a drop.  He then looked up at me as if to say "Would you please fill the platter for me".  I was amazed!  Tears sprang to my eyes as I sat open mouthed, but only for a few seconds before I poured the recipe into the platter.  Skit promptly lapped up his recipe!  Oh how I love these adorable intelligent creatures.

Hellion's Trust

Written by Troy Lynn Eckart, F.B.S.

On a gloomy day in October in a dirty musty old wooden building at an exotic animal auction in Kansas there were 21 breeder ferrets up for sale.  The conditions at these auctions is appalling and the ferrets have been mistreated/abused/neglected and are very untrusting of humans.

One of these ferrets was a small four yr old sable female.  The lady that rescued the little one knew what the fate of these auction ferrets (three others were bought by another lady and they died within months - they were kept outside in a cage during the freezing cold winter and did not survive) were if not bought by ferret knowledgeable, caring, loving humans and she wouldn't let that happen to this little girl.  What she didn't bank on was how badly this little sable had been abused and neglected.  Shortly after taking this little one home she was aptly named Hellion.  She'd strike like a snake and leave little holes where her teeth contacted flesh.  The lady worked with Hellion for a couple months and made little progress.  Hellion was spayed and moved into a foster home to be worked with.  Hellion continued her strike bites and also chased her new caretaker.  Hellion did not like other ferrets and would scream and strike at them.  We discovered that Hellion was blind in one eye and determined that the striking behavior towards us may partially be due to not being able to see well and she quite possibly thought she was striking at another ferret (obviously we smelled like ferret from handling the other ferrets).  Little progress was made there too so I moved Hellion into our home.  The first night she slept in a comfy two level cage (she never moved off the first level).  The second day I moved Hellion (minus the cage) into the front bedroom which is equipped with all the ferret necessities and then some.  There are three open carriers with blankies, two cages (one large two-story for long time-outs and one with bedding and hammock that stay open all the time), sleeping boxes, pvc pipe, a green turtle with a quilt in it for sleeping groups, several litter boxes strategically placed (or so I think), a food buffet and water.  Hellion was left to the room, that is always open (no barrier over doorway), to chose her sleeping place.  The first week I saw Hellion come out to eat and I fed her assorted treats.  She would let me pet her and I'd let her sniff my open palm.  She'd stand at my shoes and look at them.  A light went on!  She wanted me to pick her up - that was her way of asking.  Then one day she stepped out of the bedroom and came down the hallway to look into the kitchen to see what I was doing.  She stood in the hallway and just watched. I felt someone watching and turned to see who it was.  I softly spoke to Hellion and went to gently pat her back.  She let me then turned to go back to her room.  Another day she came into the bathroom when I was getting ready for work.  And yet another she came into the living room and sniffed at Nancy's foot.  Each time we softly talked to her and gently patted her back.  The time she sniffed Nancy's foot I did pick her up and take her back to her room though.

Hellion made leaps of progress... on her own terms.  I let her do what she wants and when she wants.  She still chases other ferrets away from her bedding area (of which she has three) but she will occasionally eat from the same platter with them (the lunch tray IF the ferret is eating from the other side compartment).

Tears spring to my eyes at each forward step.  I want to pick her up and cuddle and kiss her but I know she is not quite ready to be showered with my affection, so I wait.  Some day I will see her do the dance of joy and she will willingly accept my loving caresses.  Some day I know the ferret silently lurking within will step out into this wonderful loving world.  And when she does, I will be there to greet her.

The Fiddly Ferret

Written by Susie Lee

Once upon a time, a really nice family who had a good cat and a friendly dog decided they would like to include a ferret into their family's circle because they saw how much fun their neighbors had with their two adopted ferrets who played and teased with the neighbors' cat and dog and children, helping to put smiles and laughter into everyone who watched them. So they went to a pet store and bought a lonesome, last-one-of-his litter ferret...the only one left in the pet store, since all his litter-mates had been sold off.

This ferret was spoiled and mischievous because of all the extra handling he'd gotten, being by himself for several weeks at the pet store.

When he was taken in by his new family, instead of playing with their cat and dog, he hissed and bared his teeth, then ran off to create near-havoc, turning over all the pots and pans, finding and hiding every single shoe of everyone's in the house, claiming all the toys for himself, even though he couldn't possibly play with most of them, and generally being mischievous, and so the name he made for himself was Mischief.

By the next day, everyone, family, dog, cat, everyone left Mischief quite alone. Now ferrets are sociable-natured critters and Mischief didn't like being lonesome at-all-whatsoever. But after his reprehensible behavior, no one would have anything to do with him. He sprawled out his little self on the living-room floor and heaved a great, lonesome sigh. Several lonesome sighs. Noticing nobody was paying attention to all his lonesome sighs, he sat up and cry-YIII-yied, just as loud and lonesomely as his little self could cry.

Around the corner of the sofa came the old motherly cat, named Sphynx, to enquire what was the matter, for the little ferret looked and sounded so much like a kitten to her that she couldn't not try to help.

Mischief broke down completely and "for real", then, at Sphynx's genuine concern after how rudely he'd behaved. He wished everyone would come out and be company to him. He didn't like the name he'd made for himself at-all, whatsoever!

Sphynx suggested maybe he could find some way to make a NEW name for himself...what about finding a more cheery and engaging way to behave that the People might like, such as purring and rubbing against People-legs?

Mischief tried to purr, but ferrets can't purr. What could he do? he could bounce. He could run sideways and backwards at the same time. But ALL ferrets can do those things. Then, on the television, he saw a human with an instrument in his hands, making cheery noises with it while other humans joyfully approved. Now THERE was what he'd like to do!

So Sphynx managed to make the humans understand what was needed, a very small violin. (don't ask ME how she did that, sphynxes always keep their secrets and I never did find that one out! :)

By the Next day, the little ferret was already playing his new fiddle in a fitly ferrety way all his own. The merry little tunes drifted through the house and lured everyone back to enjoying the fine company of their new Fiddly Ferret. The Mom and Dad and bro and Sis were all dancing and laughing again. Dog was laughing, too, bounding between the dancers, and Sphynx just tapped her dainty paw in time to the music with a little motherly cat-grin.

And so the little ferret made a wonderful New name for himself by changing his attitude, and then changing his behavior. Now everyone loved and kept company with a much happier Fiddly Ferret.

The End

The Story Of Falcor Luckdragon And Katie O'Cato

 Written by Susie Lee

Once upon a time, in the State of Mississippi, in a cat-and-dog shelter along the Gulf Coast area, there, a ferret Named Falcor was turned in to the county animal shelter along with four other companion-ferrets, one of whom was named Cato (as Cato is a girl-ferret, she was re-named Katie O?Cato so that from then-on everyone would please definitely understand that Katie IS a girl).

Falcor, as everyone knows, is the name of the Luck Dragon from Never ending Story, so that this is, quite naturally, "Falcor Luck Dragon's Whole Name! 

Very soon after Falcor and his four cage-mates were turned in to the Mississippi animal shelter, a man named Wes Hurley was driving through the area, and a "little voice" told him to stop there, so he did. Now Wes was, at this time, already running a small-animal Rescue and Sanctuary, with his little hobbit-like wife, Susie Lee-Hurley, back in Pensacola, and they had care of some 22 other ferrets at that time, so that they understood ferret care, and were concerned about these five who had been "dumped" in the Mississippi shelter. Wes wanted to take the care of the five ferrets straight away, but the folks running it said, no, that they were required to keep any new animals for five days, so Wes left his information and did return five days later. What should he find, on return, but that three of Falcor and Katie?s cage-mates had already been put to death at that shelter, and that Falcor would be "next" for reportedly having bitten a girl who was allowed to squeeze him might too tightly. Wes put his foot down, then, and paid for the release of the two remaining, lonesome ferrets. When they came to the Pensacola Ferret and Dove Animal Rescue, they were each matted and dirty, and thin. So both ferrets were treated to fun bubble-baths (Falcor likes the warm water, and tries to play in it!, Katie stays ver-ry still, just soaking in the gentle warmth) , and food that?s not mostly corn, such as most store-shelf cat foods are, with which the ferrets had been fed. Now they got chicken-and-rice kibble, with extra ferret-vitamins, and some ferretone to replace the lost oils in their skin and coats. Soon they were both sleek and fluffy and happily bouncing ferrets.

And then, one day, after they were well-recovered, a nice couple came in to see about adopting two ferrets. The husband had built a spacious home-made cage, and the wife loved both Falcor Luckdragon and Katie O?Cato very dearly, and insisted she could easily look after both of them as well as her two young children.

So, for a two months, they were adopted-out to their new family and played happily?until ONE day, Katie was missed, and in looking for her, their new adoptive parents realized that she must have gotten outside when their three-year-old tot opened the door.

Searching outside, they found Katie under the house, with their Rotteweiler blocking her way?she could not come out. Getting a squeak-toy from inside, Katie was coaxed out, and then, like lightning, their pet dog clamped his teeth down over little Katie. Everyone screamed. Even Falcor. Katie was rushed to the emergency animal hospital in Pensacola barely breathing, but still alive. Then to her original veterinarian?s, with the Pensacola Ferret Rescue, Ferry Pass Animal Hospital, where Dr. Chew saved her life and had to put nearly fifteen stitches and five staples with a "drain" to hold little Katie together like a ferrety "humpty-dumpty". The next day, Katie was brought back to the Pensacola Ferret Rescue along with good ol? Falcor. Just as soon as they touched noses, again, little Katie?s eyes brightened, and from that point, Falcor stayed very close to keep his last cage-mate warm and give her the emotional support she desperately needed to grow well, again. Falcor never left Katie?s side, and we feel his stoic faithfulness was very much a part of little Katie?s recovery. She cannot "arch" her back any more, like other ferrets, but she has healed in every other wise and has made a recovery back to health with dear Falcor Luck Dragon's steadfast help and support.

When they are out for their playtime, Falcor Luck Dragon runs "interference", checking out the area ahead of Katie and seeing to it that all is safe. This is why Falcor regularly chases "out" and nips at the heels of each cat (we have 8) to keep them all away from Katie, every single day. They?re estimated to be around six years old, each, now. True and steadfast friends who teach us new lessons in loyalty and what true friendship is, every day.

Welcome Guests?

Written by W. Clark

It was a quiet evening around the condo. Two friends from Florida were up visiting. They were having a ball playing with the carpet sharks. I specifically called them that since the boys were from Florida. Bowser was his ever eager self. Fighting the White Sock Menace. Defending our guests from maurading bathtowels, terrorizing T-shirts and generally making sure all was safe and secure. Meantime Salem and Sugar were using their deadly cute rays on these two to get everything from a scratch to Bandit Treats to a small sip of cola. They have perfected this ray to an absolute art. No human can resist. Ferry, Bandit and Bailey would make their occasional cameo appearances and then be off to take care of ferret business which they saw the others were letting get behind. What this ferret business might be I know not, and doubtless neither did they but it must be done by the Gods....for we are FERRETS! That left only Faye, my beautiful Fayzel.

One of our guests had just bought a pair of brand new boots. Good hand tooled leather they were and finely made. Still smelling of that sweet rich odor of that only fine leather. Fayzel was in heaven. Shear ecstasy, which made walking more of an act of ice skating on the carpet to keep her from finding out what the sole of the boots felt like. Poor Don, he was so careful walking. He was familiar with ferrets as his daughter has four. He absolutely adores them and was having a ball. Fayzel had disappeared and everyone else was pretty much sacked out in various ferret niches. Don had sat down in our Papasan chair. You know the kind....made of rattan with the big round pillow on a swivel base that rocks? This is usually the domain of the Lord of the Manor, Pyewacket. Not even Azriel dare up surd Pyewacket's throne. But that's another story and since Pyewacket was in the spare bedroom laying claim to the Victorian bed he wasn't too concerned with this interloper. I was sitting not 6 feet away at the computer. Don was watching TV and leaned forward. Suddenly there was a screech!!!! I immediately saw Fayzel sticking out from between the chair and its base. "Get up get up!!!" I screamed and in one movement had picked Don up out of the chair and hurled him across the room. (no easy task as Don weighs about 220lbs. At that point he was as light as a feather to me) Thankfully the couch caught him before the Dining room table got him. I wrenched the chair from its base and Fayzel popped free. I immediately grabbed her up checking for signs of injury.  Patrick came running in after hearing the commotion to find me trying to keep my cool as I examined her and a dazed Don sprawled on the couch wondering just how did he get there? I took her in the bright light of the Examining Room (kitchen) and checked her out. No apparent damage. I gave her a hard treat to make sure there was no jaw damage and she munched away contentedly. She was fine. Patrick helped Don off the couch. Fayzel went about her business.
 

I apologized to Don who by then was aware of what had happened and was all but in tears for fear he had harmed Fayzel. I assured him she was fine. I then walked to my computer chair, sat down and basically fainted! I was shaking so bad Patrick had to get me a drink and a Zanax. I couldn't even get up out of the chair. I expended so much energy. It has been a very very very long time since I had been so frightened. I just knew her neck was broken. And if I hadn't have reacted the way I did it probably would have been. Death to the Chair! Evil Throne of Strangulation. Its black heart has been laying in wait all this time to dispatch a precious fuzzul and it almost got its wish. And to think that chair had sat in my home, my sanctum, my inner chambers all these years looking so inviting and innocent. Never again shall it feed upon the sweet essence of Fuzzy. It now has a home in the local homeless shelter.

I've told this in a funny manner mainly because I'm still shaking a little from it today. Folks, its so easy in the blink of an eye for them to get hurt or even killed. Not to mention scaring a friend to death! Poor Don, and poor Fayzel. She doesn't seem any worse for wear. I just hope it imprinted on her enough to keep her little nose out of tiny dark spaces. But knowing Fuzzies, probably not.