| Moscow couple has operated Quad City Ferret Rescue out of their home since January 2006. Four ferrets are available for adoption.
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The Daily Evergreen
Published: 04/06/2007
Bonnie, Clyde, Jack and Callie were abandoned. They were thrown for dogs to attack, neglected and not protected under any Idaho state law.
Now these four local ferrets are looking for new homes while taking refuge in Moscow. They are available for adoption at the Quad CityFerret Rescue, where “no ferret is ever turned away.” “They’re pretty laid-back,” shelter co-owner Cathy Hamlett said. “One pair is a little younger, so they have more energy.” Hamlett runs the shelter with her husband, Paul, from their Moscow home. They usually have about four to five ferrets up for adoption, she said. However, the number spiked late last summer when 10 ferrets were transferred from an overcrowded Oregon shelter. The Quad City Ferret Rescue is a federal nonprofit, no-kill organization, and a branch of the Emmett Ferret Shelter and the Pacific Ferret Shelter Network. The shelter also sells supplies such as bedding and cages, offers boarding services and readily dispenses advice on proper care and training for the ultimateferret-owning experience.
The couple started the shelter in January 2006 after owning ferrets for years and learning that many ferrets are abandoned in the area.
“The Palouse needed a shelter,” Cathy Hamlett said. “We couldn’t have done this without the help and support of all the ferret lovers out there.” It can be emotionally difficult to deal with the abused animals, she said.
“We’ve had some that got beaten so badly, they have infections,” she said. “They get kicked, thrown, attacked by dogs. People will throw them to the dogs for fun or neglect them and not feed them. We’re doing good things for these animals.” The Whitman County Humane Society has seen only oneferret in the past two years, shelter manager Teresa Asman said. A female student brought the animal to college and didn’t have time to care for it. Theferret was spayed at WSU and re-homed.
“We haven’t had a ferret since the [Quad City Ferret] Rescue started out,” she said.
Idaho laws do not protect ferrets because they’re categorized as small animals, unlike cats or dogs, Hamlett said. Because of this, the shelter does not seek police action for abusive owners. The Hamletts also do not release information about anyone who adopts or surrenders a ferret.
The cost of a ferret and supplies from the Quad City Ferret Rescue ranges from $148 to $405, according to the shelter’s Web site. Annual maintenance ranges from approximately $450 to $1,000 dollars.
The ferrets are trained and handled daily, and come vaccinated and equipped with microchips for “extra security,” according to the site. Only 36 percent of the cost of the ferrets’ care is covered by the adoption fees.
Rescue is often required after owners don’t realize what they’re getting into, Cathy Hamlett said. Some ferrets develop medical problems that the owners are unwilling or unprepared to handle.
“Ferrets are a lot more difficult to care for,” she said. “But if someone has the time and energy, they’re a good pet.” Ferrets are protected in research and exhibition by the U.S. Federal Animal Welfare Act, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They share many anatomical, metabolic and physiologic features with humans.
No ferret research is currently conducted on campus, WSU veterinary specialist Angela Teal said.
The animals are common patients at the Veterinary Hospital, Teal said. They are mostly seen for vaccinations and adrenal problems.
“We see at least a good 10 a month,” she said. “They’re pretty much like a cat.” Students tend to keep the animals in pairs, Teal said.
“They need a friend,” she said.
Teal treats other exotic animals as well, including iguanas, pigs and the occasional goldfish with bladder problems.
She said rabbits are “the worst” for scratching hospital staff, but she has never been bitten or scratched by a ferret.
The Hamletts recommend cleaning the animals' litter box daily and washing bedding weekly. The ferrets should have a fish-free diet, so “they will smell less ferrety," the site states.
For more information on adopting a ferret, call the shelter at (208) 882-2987. |
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