Smoke Remembered

In the past week I've thought a lot about Smoke, about the things about him that made him so special to me. My heart has broken as I thought about how he'll never give me kisses anymore, and it's soared as I thought about how young and happy he must be now, playing up on the Rainbow Bridge with Rascal. But I'm finally to the point where I can write this memorial without breaking down. Smoke, I love you and I miss you. Dance on, little man.

Smoke first came into our lives in August 2000. He was back at a pet store for the second or third time, and he was at least a year old. He'd been at our local Petco for about 6 months, and the employees didn't know how to handle him. A friend's boyfriend worked there, and he brought Smoke home to us. Smoke was a horrible biter, and he had obviously never been socialized. He actually bit Steve on the thing between his nostrils once, and Steve had to turn the shower head on him to get him to let go. It was obvious that Smoke had never gotten wet before, as his scream was so loud it almost echoed through the apartment.

But with a little work and a lot of love, Smoke turned into a very sweet ferret. He loved Rascal, his cagemate, and he was very loyal to us. We always called him our "big dumb jock", because he wasn't very smart, but he was so lovable. He gave us kisses, especially Steve. He loved to lick Steve's goatee and groom him. He loved to play with Bella, the family dog. They would chase each other around the room for what seemed like hours, with Smoke hanging off her neck or her whirling around to bonk him on the head with her butt. She never hurt him, and he never attacked her.







As time went on, we tried to add other ferrets to the group, but Smoke was a one ferret kind of guy. He attacked any other ferrets he came in contact with, and just wanted to be with Rascal. He was an exuberant wardancer, bouncing around and making little hissing noises and dooks. He loved to steal and hide socks, whether or not their were feet in them! Sometimes I would take his sock stash and pile it in the middle of the floor. This would keep him busy for at least 20 minutes hiding them all again.

His favorite thing to sleep in when he was younger was a Super Pet Igloo. We would bring home all sorts of comfy bedding for them - sleep sacks, security cubes, blankets, but he always chose the Igloo. Even if it was laundry day and the igloo was briefly sitting on bare cage. After Rascal passed and Smoke started to slow down, he started to sleep in sleep sacks, but I would still occasionally find him in his igloo. Maybe it was for old times sake.

Before Rascal passed on, Smoke was a huge ferret. At his biggest, he was a little over 5 lbs. But after Rascal went at the age of 8 (when Smoke was 6), Smoke just seemed to lose something. He tried really hard, and he still hid socks and gave kisses. But his heart just wasn't in it. We moved him downstairs to be with us, and he improved a little. When he saw us walk by, he would bounce back and forth along the barrier, waiting for us to pick him up. When we did, he would snuggle into us and just enjoy the company. He had free roam of the family room, but he spent most of it just sleeping. Rascal always looked out for him, and we did our best to fill that void, but nothing could compare to Rascal.

I really thought that Smoke would be the ferret that made it to 10 or 12 year old. He was never sick a day in his life, and even at the end when he was down to only 2 lbs, he wasn't ill. He just wasn't...there anymore. We took him to the vet, and she just said that he was old and couldn't find anything specific wrong with him. He wouldn't eat duck soup or baby food. Almost a year after Rascal died, Smoke just wanted to move on, to be young and wild again, to be with Rascal and play again.

So we let him go.

This is my tribute to you, Smoke. To the scared little ferret that came to us 5 1/2 years ago. To the bouncing, energetic, playful boy that used to give the dog a run for her money and roll down the stairs, dooking all the way. To the sweet loving ferret that used to give us kisses and wanted nothing more than our love. To the honest ferret that was never spiteful and always true. To the old ferret, who was beautiful even in his passing. You brought something special into our lives, and it hurts now that it's gone.

But I will remember the good times - the cuddles, the kisses, the laughs. I will build a memorial in my heart as well as on this page, and you will be there with me always.

I love you, Smoke.

Tags

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ferret, ferrets, Smoke