When Ferrets USA asked the ferret community to nominate those out there making a difference in the lives of ferrets, we received a list of very impressive individuals. Here is a sampling of some of the very amazing humans and ferrets deserving recognition.
Cathy Strobach
Only one ferret-specific sanctuary can be found within nearly an 80-mile radius of Kirkland, Ill., a suburb of Chicago: Zoo’s Ferret Sanctuary. The woman keeping that sanctuary running is Cathy Strobach, a heroine to ferrets in desperate need.
Strobach does much the same work for ferrets that other shelters do: She rescues them, sometimes from deplorable conditions, and takes in the unwanted, the found, the abandoned, the mistreated, the abused, the ill and the elderly.
What makes Strobach’s shelter different from most other shelters is that it is basically a non-adoptive center. Zoo’s Ferret Sanctuary takes in cases that no one else wants to deal with. The average ferret age at the shelter is 51⁄2 to 6 years old. Currently, 33 of the shelter residents suffer from adrenal disease and receive medication. Seventeen of these ferrets are on prednisolone for life. Many of the ferrets at the shelter have other health or behavioral issues. Some ferrets have had several homes already. Rather than sending them away to yet another, Strobach provides loving, lifetime care.
For the full article, pick up the 2011 issue of Ferrets USA or click here to buy the issue.