RANDOLPH -- A Darlene Court resident faces an animal cruelty charge for starving her pet ferret and leaving it to live in its own filth, authorities say.
Linda Morris is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 14, having been charged over the summer with animal cruelty. The charge was filed after police visiting her home in June on an unrelated matter noticed a horrible smell emanating from a ferret's cage in her garage, Sgt. Will Yarzab said Tuesday.
"(The officer) noticed the ferret didn't appear to be well-kept and was extremely skinny and dirty," animal control officer Norma Jacobs said while reading from the police report.
She said the animal's feces covered approximately one-quarter of the surface area of the cage and was piled between 3 and 4 inches high.
The ferret's food was moldy and the water in its dish was brown, Jacobs said.
Numerous calls to two phone lines to Morris' home were unsuccessful.
Jacobs took control of the ferret, a female that since has been named Frannie.
Pamela Schott, a Morris Plains-based veterinarian, reported to the township that Frannie weighed 1.2 pounds, almost half of what her body weight should have been, Jacobs said. The ferret also had ear mites and was very eager to eat food and drink water when she was brought to Schott, who eventually adopted the animal.
Calls to Schott were not returned.
Frannie has since gained about 6 ounces of weight and is getting healthier, Jacobs said.
"People have to understand that these are living things," Jacobs said. "You can't just neglect them and think it's right. "
Gail Elsey, a township resident who runs a local ferret and reptile rescue group called Scales and Tails -- www.scalesandtails.org -- said that smaller female ferrets can weigh about a pound and a half, while males tend to weigh between 2 and 3 pounds. Bigger ones can weigh up to 5 pounds.
Elsey said she knew of the case involving Frannie but declined to comment on the specifics. She did say she knew Schott and would have taken in Frannie had the veterinarian not done so.
Elsey said she adopted another ferret to Schott so Frannie could have a companion.
She said ferret abandonment and neglect is not uncommon.
"There are a ton to be rescued," Elsey said. She added that she received about seven e-mails on Tuesday alone from people who wanted her to take in their ferrets and find them homes.
"They require as much attention as a cat or dog would," Elsey said. She later added that they aren't meant to be kept in cages, and can use litter boxes.
Elsey also said that in order to own a ferret in New Jersey, one must first obtain a $15 exotic animals license from the state. Whether Morris had one is unclear.
"What they do need is a lot of room and they want to play," she said. "They have to play. They're intelligent, so they need human interaction."
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