Author Topic: I'm sorry Kat  (Read 2526 times)

Offline lazy-ferret

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I'm sorry Kat
« on: April 03, 2022, 11:37:26 PM »
When our little monsters leave us, I try to do a write-up and memorial of their lives, and the impact they have had on us. I am feeling pretty bad at the moment, as not only did it take me a while to find the words I felt Kat deserved, but it was then delayed by not feeling too well for a few days.

So.... here is what I have written for him so far, but I might need to add some other memories as time goes on, as there are so many stories associated with him. Another thing to apologise for is, it was very hard finding pictures that we knew were definitely Kat, as he lived here with so many beenies, often the pictures are just a pile of white trouble, and we have no way of working out who was who.



Kit and Kat came to us as a pair of huge Albino twin kits, from the rescue. By the end of 2016, our numbers had dwindled, and the house was feeling empty, so I arranged a visit to the rescue to get a ferret (or two”) for Suz’s Birthday. That turned into an eventful day, as somehow we came home with 6 ferrets (2 lots of twin brothers and a mum and daughter), and as we have always had a thing for Albino Hobs, Suz’s claimed these two huge kits as her Birthday Pressie.

Kit and Kat were pretty much identical, almost impossible to tell apart, huge, fluffy, bouncy, and proper monster kits. Basically, perfect ferrets. They had a way of playing with each other, like they were the only ferrets in the world, often just standing on the spot just bouncing up and down with all 4 feet. These two were so alike they always placed or won in any of the Pairs classes they were entered into at Ferret shows.



Telling the two of them apart was nearly impossible, the only slight difference was Kat would “mouth” when playing, whereas Kit would “knit” you. He became known as Kit the Knit… This bit of info was not so handy when we quickly needed to tell them apart though. Fortunately, for most of their lives they did everything, eat, drink, sleep, play, or walk together, so we just called them the “Kit Kats”.

Talking of walking, these two were amazing, they loved walking, but even that was a game, and they would spend half the time bouncing on each other.

https://youtube.com/shorts/CbzoeF2vQKo

https://youtube.com/shorts/O8tjxYoPKjw



Over the years, we have got pretty good at “Ferret Proofing” the house, but Bourneville, our EU Polecat, was already proving that some of them don’t need to follow the rules when it comes to what areas are out of bounds and could jump any gate that we could step over. Kit and Kat were quick to follow his example, and basically jumped the gate we had that kept the two groups separate. Fortunately, they were pretty good at getting on with everyone, most of the time.


One time, we got a call from our neighbour, asking if we had lost a ferret, as there were reports on Facebook about half an hour before, of one down the road. While Suz’s did a head count, made harder, as we also had a couple of other huge Beenie boys, I went to check the area. Suz called me, to say she could account for all the ferrets, so I carried on looking for the stray, but the only people I spoke to who had seen it, had last seen it walking into the wooded area that runs behind the houses. After a while I gave up and came back home.
The next afternoon, more reports of this ferret down the road, but I was on my own at home, so I just ran off down there, as soon as I heard, but again I could see no signs of it. I came back home, did a head count, and again, all ours were accounted for. That Evening, there was yet another report, but this time we could not find one of either Kit or Kat. The one we could find, was pacing, and it was obvious he was worried about his brother, and as soon as he started knitting our arms, we knew Kat was missing. We used a permanent marker to put a mark on Kit’s ear, so we could know which was which, and then both set off to look for Kat, but this time taking Kit on a lead in the hope he would come to us. Nothing, after a couple of hours searching, we went back home, and there Kat was waiting in the living room!

We were really puzzled, and not sure what to make of it, still not certain if we had actually lost Kat, and he had come back, just had not looked well enough in the house before we went out, or maybe there was actually another lost ferret in the area.



Over the next few days, we would let him out into the garden, and watch him like a hawk, but he never escaped, or even tried too, then one day, as soon as we relaxed the watching, the reports of the ferret up the road would come in, we would do a search, and he would be here, so we would search for the “wandering ferret”, never to find it.

Then, one afternoon, while out in the garden, I actually saw him climb the old, 7ft high stone wall at the bottom of the garden, grabbing him as he summited the top. After some major extra ferret proofing, he would wait until he thought I was not looking, then I would watched him try, but he could no longer climb the wall…

A couple of months later, up on Facebook came reports of this ferret up the road again… This time Kat was definitely missing. We did everything, and spent 2 days looking for him, but this time he was gone, not even sightings on Facebook. We went to bed on the third night, exhausted, as not only had we spent hours searching, day and night, even when we had laid down to sleep, we did not actually sleep, worrying about him. On this night, we left the door to the ferret court open with some raw food & their soup out there, but we were feeling very down hearted… worse still, Kit was not coping with his brother being missing either, so we were also worrying about him. We must of dropped off, as we were woken at some point by someone digging furiously at the cat flap. I initially assumed it was one of our lot objecting to it being closed, keeping them from going out to the court, but got up to check, and discovered it was Kat, he had returned and not happy at being locked out. He had lost a lot of weight, but other than that seemed none the worse for his meanderings.
After that, he was grounded from the garden, until we could work out how he was doing this again. The problem was, we were having some family issues, which actually meant we were having to leave the house early in the morning, and were not getting back until late at night, so the ferrets were feeling a bit left out as well, really unhappy about garden privileges being removed.



The next weekend was great weather, we needed to “Us time”, so decided we were spending it at home with just the ferrets, and were all out in the garden, with one of us continually following Kat everywhere he went. He was not impressed with this and would just go back in the house to sleep, until he thought we were not looking, whereby, he would come back out in the garden and play with his brother again. Eventually, he could not resist, and we watched him climb up the concrete “H” section fence post. We never thought it was possible. The next job of course, was to try and find a way to stop him, which meant they were all grounded from the Garden again.

Just after that, we got him “Chipped”, and luckily, after my next lot of “Ferret Proofing” the garden, he never went wandering again, well, on his own, he did lots of wandering on his lead.

He had an addiction, for some reason you could not eat an orange, satsuma, or banana without sharing it. No matter where he was asleep, as soon as he smelt you had opened one, he would be there, and was absolutely manic until he actually got a bit. If we had finished it before he got to us, he would sit and stare at us, making us feel so guilty, we always had to peel another one, just to give him a bit. Because of this, Suz started always putting a bit aside for him, which is going to be a very hard habit to break.



About 8 months ago, he was diagnosed with bowl cancer, and to be honest, we were sure we were taking him to the vets to be put to sleep. Amazingly, on the highest dose of Steroids we have ever had to give a ferret (5mg/day), and a very powerful painkiller, his symptoms recovered a lot, and he was back to playing with his brother. We were back to the old problem though, we needed to be able to tell them apart, not only for his medication, but the regular trips back to the vets for check-ups etc. The great thing (or in this case, problem) with Ferret fur, is nothing sticks, in the past we have used Permanent marker to try and distinguish them, but it would only stay on their fur for a couple of days and had to be re-applied continually. We needed something more permanent, but of course, safe, so we ended up cutting the fur on the tip of his tail flat. It looked a little odd, having a flat tip, instead of the normal rounded/pointed, but made it much safer to distinguish him.

We were amazed at how well he was doing on the meds, but the inevitable had to happen, and we started to notice he was slowing down, instead of bouncing back at his brother, he was getting flattened, then the stumbly back end started.

One day, he decided he needed to be cuddled, and spent most of the day in either Suz’s or my arms, or curled up on a blanket between us. He did take a few trips out into the garden, had a small sunbathe, but really was struggling to walk, stumbling everywhere. Amazing what a determined ferret can accomplish! Even in his last days, he loved his garden playground.



That night he changed his mind about us needing cuddles, he needed to have a snuggle with his brother, and went to their favourite spot, on an old sleeping bag, behind the sofa, under the radiator. We didn’t really want to leave him over night, but needed some sleep ourselves, and knew that Kit and him needed some time as well.

The next morning, Suz checked on him, with some trepidation, but as soon as he saw her, he climbed into her hands, and snuggled in. He gave us both some very long cuddles, but would no longer take anything to eat or drink, slowly drifting off to that long forever sleep in our arms, surrounded by all the love he deserved.

Sorry Kat, but I have really struggled with having to write this, which is why it’s late. I wanted to find words to do you justice, but apart from your escapology, you were actually a very remarkable guy, who just enjoyed keeping the status quo exactly as it should be, and being the perfect example of how a good ferret should be.

You were one of those ferrets, along with your brother Kit, who just seemed to belong here, always around, always up to stuff, often causing trouble, but never so bad that you wound us up.

You had an eventful life, and we have many great memories to keep you in our minds forever.

Please have a ball waiting in that ferret garden up at the rainbow bridge. There are no fences up there, so you can explore till your heart is content. Of the 6 of you that arrived that day, you already have Chewit, Lion, and Mars up there, plus the 10 others you met in your time living here with us, waiting to play. We will do our best to keep your brother company till you call him up.



I ferret proofed my house... but they still keep getting in

Weaseling out of things is important to learn! It's what separates us from the animals.....  Except the weasel....(Homer J Simpson)

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Offline darkqueenenlightened

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Re: I'm sorry Kat
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2022, 08:33:49 PM »
Beautiful memorial for such a handsome boy.  I remember when you got Kit and Kat as loved their names.  He seemed such a special fluff ball  :cry: :fuzzyhug:
Xx Owned by the lovely Cadbury, Nyx, Mako, Boston, Gadget and Pedro.  Keep on dancing Snuggles, Fuz, Chaz, Oliver, Tali, Fidget, Pixie, Drill, Lizzie, Tank, Jack, Dust, Romeo, Zeph, Apollo, Hjuki, Alaska, Sparks and Roo xX

Offline star

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Re: I'm sorry Kat
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2022, 09:52:51 PM »
 :cry: Beautiful Kat   :cry:

So sorry to hear Kat has departed, so loved his antics.  :fuzzyhug:

Offline girly-lazy-ferret

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Re: I'm sorry Kat
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2022, 08:41:10 PM »
I think Clive has done you justice there Kat, and I think the best thing is we can look back on your life and how you loved your life. Both you and your brother Kit were always asleep together, literally no matter what your whole life, you loved us, the garden and exploring.

I remember thinking what a handful you were when we got you back home, but it was like you were meant to be here and had been the whole time.

I have to say whenever I think of Kat, I smile, my immediate memory is of both Kat and his brother Kit, dancing around the quarry lagoons where we holidayed, we would take them on evening walks where they used a weeks’ worth of energy in one go and lived life to the very fullest. They had a way of playing with each other that was truly unique, a kind of vertical take-off and bounce down.

Some where I have the most amazing video of Kat and Kit on a walk together so excited, they are leapfrogging each other and tangling their leads all of the time but having a most obvious ball. I will update this when I come across it again.

Last year we thought you had the beginnings of a ruptured anal gland, and we were in contact with the vets literally daily with photos, you managed somehow, until it became a full-on emergency, we sat in the vets for hours while they said when they pop it back in it comes straight back out, we worked that out and didn’t profess to knowing how these things work.

It turned out to be the big C making your insides out, I sat in that waiting room honestly wondering if we should let you go as you were under but we decided to try as we know how determined you are, and wow you showed us and then kept showing us. After a few days it shrank back, you took your meds and were very happy, you saw Christmas with us and we were surprised so when your time arrived at the end of March we were caught off guard.

When we were doing our usual nightly routine of getting ferrets in the right place, you found me and gave me a full body hug, you couldn’t have given me more and I knew then and there. The next day it was beautiful spring sunshine and you spent most waking moments in the garden with us keeping a close eye on you. And your twin brother Kit trying to make you “bouncy play” with him, it’s what you loved and how I remember you, our loving bouncy beany boy.

We are trying to keep Kit distracted but we all miss you.





Offline darkqueenenlightened

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Re: I'm sorry Kat
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2022, 07:23:47 PM »
 :kiss1: :kiss1: :kiss1:
Xx Owned by the lovely Cadbury, Nyx, Mako, Boston, Gadget and Pedro.  Keep on dancing Snuggles, Fuz, Chaz, Oliver, Tali, Fidget, Pixie, Drill, Lizzie, Tank, Jack, Dust, Romeo, Zeph, Apollo, Hjuki, Alaska, Sparks and Roo xX