Northern California Ferret Alliance to Host Reporter at Next Meeting The NCFA meeting this Tuesday the 25th in Concord is that we will have a local reporter at the meeting. It's that guy that initially emailed LegalizeFerrets.org and you sent me his info. He is working on a story about ferret owners in the easy bay area. He and I have already been emailing back and fourth and I have already answered a lot of his questions. But since he is going to take the time out of his schedule to come to a meeting I think it's really important to have a good turn out. I also think the big thing here is to show him that there are a lot of ferret enthusiasts in the easy bay. He needs to see it's not just a few crazy ferret people Kimberly B More on Ferret Poop   I read the article about using our little guys "Poop" to deter rats in the BBQ...I have used it for years in the mountains in Crestline, CA for deterring SKUNKS from under my house!!! YA-Hoo finally an answer to my skunk problem!!!   Not a skunk to be found under my decks or under my house anymore!! Thanks to my furry friends!! Please pass this on to others as a natural way of getting rid of unwanted guests!!  Lori W.     Alright... where's the ferret?

A Possibly Screwy CLIFFNotes   Usually I enjoy putting CLIFFNotes together.  However, I've had the most painful flu since Thursday.  Oh, half my kingdom- if only I could convince someone to clean the ferret cage.  Perhaps some people reading this don't know ferrets can get the same flu that people do - another reason to ask for help.  But there are things going on that need to be reported on, and I don't want to mess up my perfect record of getting this newsletter out on time. Fundraising Blues   I was going to list all the companies we wrote to and asked for help with paying the $13,000 initial payment for the pre-Environmental Impact Research.  I haven't been to the post office since Wednesday, so I'm sure if I rant and rave I'll be embarrassed to find that all of these companies have miraculously sent us donations, and they've just been sitting in the P.O. box since then last time I picked up mail.   Marshall Pet Products is the only one I know of who is interested in helping and that is a big relief off of my mind.  The first quarterly bill from Sacramento State University is due shortly.  The good news, they are also going to provide us with a status report.  Somehow, I've got to learn not to worry so much in my old age. Calendar Update   I was supposed to get Heidi, our graphic artist everything she needed to complete the calendar by now - but another casualty of being sick; we're still not quite ready.  I did hire a former co-worker of mine, also fired for being over 45, the job of editing the short personal stories.  I haven't had a chance to go over them - but here they are.   1.  Matt J. I had my three ferrets - Snowball, Houdini  and Bandit- for about 10 months when I accepted an  internship in California that I couldn't pass up.  I was heartbroken to leave my babies in Michigan.   Thankfully, my mom is taking care of them. In Michigan, they can go outside without the fear of being reported or confiscated.  I miss them so much.  I  consider moving back home so that I can have them once again. 2.  Amanda B. Originally from California, I moved to Oregon for school.  I now have two ferrets, Otty and Bella.  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 my precious girls.  Leaving them behind would be like a mother leaving behind her child - unthinkable and impossible. 3.  Beverly J. Keeping your ferrets out of sight may not be enough to keep them safe in California.  A thief burglarized my friend’s home. One of her ferrets got out.  A neighbor returned the ferret but called the police because her front door was kicked in.  My friend came home to find law enforcement officers taking her ferrets.  She had her belongings stolen and property damaged, but the police called her a “criminal” because she had ferrets.   . 4.  Diego Columbo (Pisa, Italy) In 2006 I received a good job offer from ImageMovers Digital in San Rafael.  I had to refuse it since I have two ferrets.  I was really sad to make this decision but I couldn't turn my back on my ferrets. They are my joy and responsibility. In my job search, I avoid all California jobs because of the state’s ban on ferrets.  Incredibly, after three years, the law still hasn’t changed. 5.  Jaya D. I brought my elderly female ferret, sick and dehydrated from a blockage, to an emergency vet clinic. The ferret nipped a vet tech unfamiliar with how to properly handle ferrets. My sick girl was kept in a cage in a concrete holding area for 10 days.  Due to California’s ban, arrangements were made at the end of my ferret’s "incarceration," to take her across the border. I never saw her again. 6 Kristina B. On our move to Seattle from Nevada with our ferrets, we stopped in L.A. to see friends and family.  Avoiding the California agriculture check point, we got lost in the desert.  In Sacramento, when six motorcycle cops pulled in behind me I thought, "We’re going to jail!"  They passed us but I was still fearful driving through the state.  At the Oregon border we were so relieved - we made it!!!!" 7.  Megan M. My fiancé and I have nine "babies."  The constant fear that they could be confiscated makes me sick to my stomach.  We worry that the landlord of our apartment complex will find out about them.  Anytime we need maintenance service or someone knocks at the door, we have to make sure that they are well hidden.  I see other people take their small pets with them to stores or on errands.  IT’S JUST NOT FAIR!!!. 8.  Tiffany I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and love my two little ferrets, Daisy and Dahlia, beyond words.   I want to tell the world about how special and intelligent they are - but I can't.  Because of the ban I have to hide them, not show pictures or tell people about what wonderful pets ferrets make.  I know we can show Californians that ferrets ARE amazing.  Let’s  prove the negative stereotypes are wrong.   As you can see, we still need 4 more entries to complete the calendar - and we need them pronto.  Each story will have a thumbnail image, so we need photos to accompany them please! Biggest Ferret Tumor Ever   You know, I should put this as the subject line for this email to see if something so gross would get a better open rate.   We had a pair of ferrets dumped on us because the owners were in military housing and afraid of getting evicted if the ferrets were found out.  One has a slight lump on her neck I was told.  Turned out to be a glandular tumor on him - who I thought was named Tika.  Dr Jenkins at the Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital removed the tumor and from what I understand Tika is fine.  Tika's new owner hasn't picked up the ferret because she is in the hospital (hope its not the flu).   We raised about $775 for Ferret Bueller's medical bill not that long ago, so I spent $500 of that money for Tika's surgery.  I seemed the right thing to do.   I look forward to pictures of Tika and his soul mate Harley in next week's CLIFFNotes.  The tumor will be biopsied so we might be able to find out a little more about it. Update on Shadow In the last issue of the FA Paw Print, I wrote an article called Bad Blood. The article is about the process my wife and I went through trying to figure out what was wrong with our Shadow, a 4 year old Silver Mitt male. This past week, only 5 days after three more injections of Epogen, and another blood transfusion - we decided not to wake Shadow from his sleep that we had him put under to draw blood to check his PCV. Despite everything we'd done to try to give us time to determine what was going on with him, we decided that he'd had enough needles and medication. Our boy will always live in our memories and one of the most beautiful ferrets we've ever know. Fly high Mr. 'Doo, we miss you terribly buddy. Lance & Dawn M. In Conclusion   I'm hurting, so it is good to wrap up this edition of CLIFFNotes and send it on its way.  Next week we'll be back up to our high standards and error-free reporting on what is news for the ferret legalization effort in California!   Pat Wright (619) 303-0645 LegalizeFerrets.org CLIFFNotes@legalizeferrets.org 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/