I got a phone call about two months ago from the Sheriff in a nearby town. They had received numerous complaints about a local pet store, and when they went in there, they ended up seizing a couple of dozen animals, and arresting four humans.
One of the animals was Cocoa. She was being fed and watered, but was literally sleeping in her own waste. The litterbox had not been changed for many months, and they could not even distinguish it until the fire department had hosed down the cage. She was suffering from ammonia burns and had lost most of the fur on her body. She was weak because she had not been out of the cage for who knows how long, and had consequently not gotten any exercise. she could barely stand. It took a while to get her cleaned up, and to soothe the burns on her body. I put her in with my little guys and she was terrified beyond all reason, apparently having never seen another ferret. The only thing she was comfortable with was humans. She loves to be held and spent the night in bed with me, head on pillow, covers pulled up around her neck. Time went by, and the burns healed completely. She got all her strength back, and has begun playing and running around, but only by herself. When the others come out of their cage, she gives them a quick sniff, then hightails it to my lap where she curls up and feels totally safe. I doubt if she will ever find a home that will cater to her, and where she will be accepting of them. For now, she has one here. |
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COCOA has a Santa. |