| Vol 4 • No 33, August 16th, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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Ten Newest Members of the 3000 Club - Thank you!
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Readers' Column
    Rehoming Ferrets
I am looking for a new WONDERFUL home for my girls. It has to be a great home... preferably with another ferret. I need to meet this new owner as well as see their ferret set up to see to it that my babies are going to the best place possible. I am being very strict about this because I am not charging an adoption fee. I am not interested in money... just that Feebie and Bonnie will get to go back to playing every day like they used to.
This is the hardest decision ever. Consider what I am going through and only serious inquiries please. We are located in the east bay area. Below are ferret biographies.  FEEBIE (AKA Princess Feebie) Feebie is a petite girl. She is mostly white with a bit of tan on her tail and black eyes. She is a curious lover and likes to play and explore. She knows the comands "no" and "don't do it". Feebie also gives kissed if you pucker up for her and she LOVES her sparkle ball. She is healthy as can be. I bought her 4 years ago from a pet store in Arizona and she has never been to the vet for illness of any sort. She is my baby and breaks my heart to see her go. BONNIE (AKA Bonnie Bear or Bon Bon) Bonnie is a very small but well built little Sable. Her adorable little brown mask is so cute with her black eyes peering up at you. Bonnie is kind of a quirky little OCD kind of ferret. She has 2 obsessions: 1) Beenie babies and small stuffed animals. They are her "babies" I have a bunch of them and I put them on a box or in a pile on the floor and she stashes them and then I take them back out so that she can do it all over again. 2) Feet... yep... feet. If you have bare feet (freshly showered are even better) she will run up to them and lick them. One look into her eyes and you can just see straight through to her sweet heart. Bonnie is 5 years old and, just like Feebie, 100% healthy and only been to the vet ONCE for a simple cold. Thanks for reading, Samantha spazm.attack@gmail.com And One More
Sam I was wondering if you and ferrets anon can help me rehome a ferret. I have had this ferret for over 3 years. We smuggled him in from Texas and he had 3 playmates. Since coming to California, we have lost the other 2 ferrets due to illness. My fiance has since left me and I do not have enough time for my little Sam. He is a wonderful little guy. Gets along well with dogs. Not sure about cats. He is very friendly. I don't have a picture of him right now. If you can help me find him a new home, someone would have to pick him up in Bakersfield, CA, It would be wonderful. I hate to give him up, but I work and go to school and have a 6 month old son and I figured you would be the best person to ask. Thank you in advance.
Joyce jrainwater76@hotmail.com
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So Far - Only Marshall Pet Product Comes To Our Aid
These are scary times in general and its more than a little scary that we have a $13,000 debt for the upcoming Environmental Impact Report (EIR). I asked our consultant, Dr Geo Graening what would happen if we didn't come up with the money and he replied Sacramento State University would go after him. Now, we aren't supposed to think of Dr Graening as a friend since that would jeopardize his impartiality on the subject - but hey, what a guy!
We won't let that happen. I am never late on a payment. And thank goodness for Marshall Pet Products willingness to help.
16 letters went out to every company we could think of that does some kind of ferret-related business in California. Complete documentation was also enclosed. And in the case of Petco, $25,000 worth of their own store receipts were enclosed.
So far - only Marshall Pet Products has expressed any interest. They would like to cover 25% of the study and ask Marshall Ferrets (a separate division) to match their contribution. In addition, they are going to bend Petco's ear when they attend a sales event at the end of this month.
I have to wonder about a coincidence going on my house. We did a little taste test. I can't get weight on that darn Quito. So, I put a bowl of Marshall Diet and a bowl of Evo in the cage. Quito preferred Marshall, Fausto voted for Evo. Then I switched the bowls. Each ferret preferred the same food and went to the different bowl. After Marshall Pet Products expressed interest in helping us, both ferrets will now only eat the Marshall diet.
Last Chance To Help With the Calendar
Our 2010 Legalize Ferrets in California Calendar is on schedule to be completed very soon. Besides the beautiful professional photos we have for each month, we'll also have a thumbnail photo and small blurb about how the ferret ban has affected who ever submits information. People who took jobs here and left their ferrets behind, people who took jobs here and brought their ferrets, people who said the heck with California and opted to just stay in their home state. -So, what's your story? How has the ferret ban affected you? Do you want to share it with a calendar that is going to cause quite a stir? Please send your comments in by Sunday, August 23rd, 2009.
 An Example of What We Are Looking For:
Originally from California, I came to Oregon for school. Our ferrets, Otty & Bella, are part of our family and it saddens me to not have the freedom to take them home for a visit. I want to find a job in California and move back but fear for the safety of our precious girls. Leaving them behind would be like a mother leaving behind her child - unthinkable & impossible.
- Amanda Another Ferret in Distress
I received a call and then a visit from a ferret owner's husband living in military housing. The ferrets had to get out now in case they had any kind of inspection. I felt bad since the husband dropped off the wife's ferrets. "The female has a lump on her neck" was mentioned. I remember the male's name was Harley, he is being fostered but I'm not sure of the female's name. I think he said "Tica" and he didn't return a call I made to him.
Both ferrets went to Dr Jenkins at the Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital. The lump turned out to be a very unusual glandular tumor and we don't know how badly it is wrapped around her throat.
I made the decision to go ahead and order the surgery. She's flying standby but it will be done this week - so keep your paws crossed about this one.
A few months back we had a distressed ferret named Ferret Bueller. We were able to raise about $800 for his vet bill. When I went to send the vet the money someone had anonymously paid the entire bill. I asked everyone who gave money if we could use their donation for the EIR or did they want it returned. Everyone said to use it for the EIR. Still, "Tica" needs help, so I'm going to take $500 of that money to make a down payment on her ferret's surgery.
Hope for good news next week, but this is going to be a tough surgery.
More on Ferret Poop
Since we've moved to Texas, we are enjoying a plethora of wildlife, some of it not so pleasant. We've been plagued by super intelligent rats in our b.b.q. They take bait off traps without tripping them, they go around the sticky stuff, they refuse to eat the poison. I figured if they were so darned intelligent, I would try the ferret-poo-around-the-yard trick and see if that would frighten them away. IT WORKED! Since I've put the contents of my many litterboxes around the yard, there has not been a single rat poo in the b.b.q. I'm thrilled at my new-found humane rat deterrent as traps, sticky stuff and poison are a horrible death and I only used them because they were in our favorite food preparation device. Feel free to share this hint with the readers, yet another reason everyone should own a ferret!
Terri M Questions We Love - How Can I Help?
My name is Ana R. I'm 15 years old and entering my sophomore year in AB Miller High. I've been what you would call a "ferret fan" since I've heard about them. I've read books about them and already have a wide range knowledge of ferrets, including their illegal status in California. That sucks because I live in California. Lately, I've spread ferret awareness to my family and friends and they too have begun to support the cause. Even my mom wants to smuggle a ferret from Arizona, but I refused to have one while they're illegal. As much as I love them, I'd rather not put a ferret in danger and have it live under the dark shadow of the law. It angers me when ferrets are put down (it's murder but the government doesn't want to make it sound bad) when they're caught. On June 7th, 2009 I wrote a two-page letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger about that issue. About two months later, I received a reply. I was disappointed for the reply wasn't much help. I want to be apart of this cause and help as much as I can. What can I do to spread ferret awareness or help in any way?
Hello Ana and everyone else who wants to help!
Run ads in Craigslist and anywhere else you can think of - they're free! Let people know that California ferret owners are getting organized and we need all the help we can get.
Here's an example of an ad I run on Craigslist:
We also have the cards below that can be used as handouts if you need them:  They are double-sided and fold in half. I always put a few in the pet store when I go spend my money. Please let me know if you would like me to send you any.
In Conclusion
August has been a month for me to catch up on ferret work.
A letter went out to everyone on our vet list trying to update the info. My thanks to All Pets Medical and Surgical Center for advertising with us. I wish more veterinarians would ($100 for the full year, $50 for once a month or $10 an issue - not bad rates, about 1000 people open CLIFFNotes every week.) Is your vet listed? -Please go to http://www.ferretsanon.com/vets.php. That site will be redone to make the search feature easier. PHP programmers are working cheap in this recession.
The San Diego Ferrets Anonymous webpage has been redone - check it out at http://www.ferretsanon.com/
Still lots to do and I appreciate everyone's help and support.
Pat Wright (619) 303-0645 LegalizeFerrets.org CLIFFNotes@legalizeferrets.org Lance M. here, I wanted to throw in comment this week. First, I'm glad to be back helping with CLIFFNotes, and I want to see every effort made to secure the freedom of our pets succeed. I know that many of you in the California ferret community can't help but think of years past when all our hopes were set on the legalization of ferrets only to find out that we had no such luck. This is why it is very important to support the best chance we currently have to finally achieve our goal, which is to support the EIR in any way we can. I can honestly say, that if I ever purchase another ferret - it would be a Marshal out of sheer gratitude for their assistance both past & present. Lance M. FA Phone: (949) 303-8481 President, Ferrets Anonymous Founder, Orange County Ferrets CEO, California Domestic Ferret Educational Alliance Email: fapres@ferretsanonymous.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/LanceM_FA Web: http://www.ferretsanonymous.org/ |
