As we’ve been indicating in the blog, Ysabell has been unwell for some time. After a rough weekend where we couldn’t get Ysabell to eat, pogle came home from work to find she had passed away in her sleep. Minsc was curled up on top of her, keeping her warm even as she left us.
The introduction of Minsc into her life thoroughly upset Ysabell, although I think at least part of it had to do with the onset of her illness (even though we didn’t know this at the time). Towards the end, we’d occasionally hear Minsc’s loud complaints regarding her, but it had become less of a “Mom, she’s trying to kill me!” issue and more of a “Mom, Ysabell kicked me out of the bed!” issue. And oh my, did she love to steal his warm spots, especially if he had been snuggling with Jack Jack. She was very proprietary of JJ, her lifelong friend. Being the elder (and the adrenal one), I think his surviving her has surprised all of us, possibly even him.
It’s hard, with ferrets, to know when they’re not feeling well. For Ysabell it seemed to start with Minsc, and then suddenly she wasn’t hole-punching cardboard, stashing the kong, or playing during playtime. Logic tells me that these things slowly added up, but both pogle and I cannot help but feel her loss as sudden.
She’ll be laid to rest with her favorite Kong toy, that she loved to stash so much (and was positively frantic if she couldn’t find; no worries there anymore sweetie), and with a piece of cardboard, in memory of all that she has chomped on while bringing so much joy to our lives. We’ll miss you Ys.
Ysabell: A Retrospective
4/14/2008 – She was very scrawny and had a coarse coat when we first got her.
5/16/2008 – Did I mention she loved JJ?
5/20/2008 – She had a very piercing gaze.
5/30/2008 – She loved to groom pog (I’m not sure he enjoyed it that much, though).
6/13/2008 – She liked to clamp onto you when you picked her up.
7/16/2008 – She did not like my TRex.
7/18/2008 – She had burgundy eyes that were very hard to photograph.
8/2/2008 – She didn’t want anyone to steal her bucket.
8/28/2008 – She loved to punch cardboard.
9/8/2008 – Once she was a dragon in a castle.
9/11/2008 – She loved that damn kong (and will be buried with it).
9/14/2008 – She was curious (it was empty).
9/26/2008 – She was so small…
9/28/2008 – And so cute…
10/10/2008 – And we were happy to have known her for the time that we did.
Thanks for spending three years with us, Ysabell. We’ll miss your teeny tiny terrorizing ways.
🙁
/comfort
Just 3 years, wow. Seems a lot longer, which I guess is to her credit if she could make it seem so much more.
Well written, Michele. The photo log of her short life shows all the aspects of what made her special. She was extremely well cared for and loved beyond words. She is missed.
I wish I’d waited until after work to check your blog– this post brought tears to my eyes. I’m saddened by and sorry for your loss. She sounds like she was a sweet little terror. I’m glad she brought you so many good times and fun memories. Thanks for being such great ferret people.