Missing Lavender

I researched for YEARS what kind of pet Lucy might be able to live with, without having asthma.  In hindsight, I may not have done phenomenal research, but you go with what you know at the time.  I wanted the kids to have a mammal, to cuddle with and watch.  Dogs and cats were eliminated with allergy testing and natural consequences of being around them.

So in January 2010, we bought our first ferret.  The kids thought long and hard about a name, and she was dubbed Lavender.  And we ALL fell in love!  Baby ferrets are fun!

She was so fabulous, in fact, and had so much personality, even as she grew, that we ended up getting two more... despite their terrible smell.  But she remained my favorite.  She always stole candy, would follow us like a puppy, and was just so stinking agreeable...even jumping up on me when she was excited.

Sometimes, when my panic attacks were there worst, I would go down and quietly lift her out of the cage and cuddle her.  And this often helped.  Because she was the "Sweet One"...that's what we all called her.  The others were sweet, but couldn't compare, in my mind.

She maybe got played with the most, because she was so easy going, and I was always snapping pics...even a couple weeks ago.  And so very tolerant of these children she lived with :)

This morning, Stephen found her very lethargic and making a strange noise regularly, and though he and I rushed her out the door, by the time we got to the animal hospital, she was gone.

So the kids have grieved.  Even Stephen ;)  And I have grieved more than I should for a ferret, but well, I loved her.