We had to put our little boy ferret, Cumulus, to sleep this morning. He had previously been diagnosed with adrenal disease (very common to ferrets). Last night at some point, he started trying to go to the bathroom several times in just a few minutes. It kept on. This morning, we took him in. The vet was able to feel the tumor from the adrenal issue, but below that was a golf ball sized lump which was highly most likely the issue. We basically had 72 hours from whenever he started this and we were already estimated in the 48 hour range. We decided to go ahead and let him pass peacefully.

I didn't have long with my "Stinky", my fat little cloud who was going bald, but the time I did have was more than enough for me to feel the heartbreak of him being gone. He was such a sweetie. He loved giving ferrety kisses (especially when we had just eaten something tasty) and he loved stealing all the toys and stashing them.

He leaves behind his little 'sister', Nimbus, who we will watch diligently for any signs of ferret depression. She has been with him her whole life (as far as we know) and I know she will eventually catch on that he's definitely not coming back. We are having to make the hard decision of getting her a playmate, but it will be some time. We need time to heal our hearts.

Thank you all for you kind words and support. It's never easy to lose a beloved pet, no matter how small, no matter how stinky, no matter how quirky they are in life. Those little quirks are what ties them to our hearts and souls. Being one of our first ferrets, he will definitely hold a special place in our memories. I will be cross stitching his portrait to hang in memorandum.

Good bye, sweet Cumulus. Fly high in the sky.

** I say hard decision because they have so many troubles, adrenal being one of the most prevalent. It's not a decision to be taken lightly.