Kindness Matters Ferret Rescue, Acworth GA

05/01/2025

Big thanks to Chelle Christensen for donating $500! I've been giving her ferret advice, which is different than what she was hearing from the vet. The donation is a thank you for my help. Wow!

There's another side to this. Yesterday I was busy most of the day helping people with their sick ferrets. This is something I am glad I can do and have the ability to do so. Last night I was questioning having spent so much time helping people with their animals to the point it kept me from responding to adoption emails, sending thank you messages, etc. I believe God was working through Chelle and is His way of telling me I'm doing the right thing, what He has called me to do.

05/01/2025

Woodstock was adopted 12/23 without meeting the ferret in the home. The woman lives a ways from here. Someone was traveling that direction, so Woodstock was transported there. I had the adopter describe her ferret's activities and actions and send me video, so I could try to determine a good match. I received this message: "Just wanted to reach out and say thank u again for Woodstock. I'm not sure how u were able to match on a video alone. U did great!"

04/01/2025

10 month old Astro (left) and 16 month old Baba (right) have been adopted! The family drove about four hours from southern Georgia to adopt. They're going to a great home.

04/01/2025

When giving medication, first give the ferret something it likes (soup, salmon oil, Furrotone, Ferretvite, etc.) to coat the mouth, then the medication. After that, try squirting in some water to rinse the bad taste from the mouth and then give salmon oil, soup, or whatever to help cover the remaining bad taste. Giving a small amount of something just to give the medication is not going to hurt the ferret and will keep it from fighting you as much and from spitting out the medication as much.

04/01/2025

04/01/2025

2 1/4 years old Sassy was adopted today. She's going to be very happy in her new home. The husband is a disabled veteran and has lots of time to spend with her. (Free adoption to veterans.)

04/01/2025

I got a call from a woman. Her sister got two ferrets for her teen and they weren't being cared for. The woman threatened the sister with calling animal control if she didn't give up the ferrets. She drove 1 1/2 hours to get them, waited two hours for the ferrets because they let one get out, drove an hour here and another hour to get back home, all with two young boys in the car. She knew the ferrets had no food and stopped to get some on her way to pick them up. This woman is a blessing! She saw the cat wheel when here and remarked she'd been thinking of getting one for her cats. I happened to have an extra one here and let her have it for all the trouble she'd gone through to save these ferrets.

The solid black is a female. The black with white toes is a male. They're about two years old, malnourished and dehydrated. I'm sure they'll be fine with some loving care.

They need names! Please post your suggestions. If your suggested names are chosen, you agree to donate at least $20 toward their care.

04/01/2025

Five year old female ferret in Beaufort SC needs a home asap. She's free and comes with a Ferret Nation cage and her supplies. The family has to move to California, where they are illegal. They're also moving into a situation where they couldn't take her even if they wanted to sneak her into the state. From pics, she looks to be healthy. Given her age, she likely has adrenal disease. If you're able to get her, I ask that you donate at least $25 for my help.

03/01/2025

Welcome 11 month old Toni to the rescue. He's a really healthy happy ferret. He loves to run on the cat wheel!

03/01/2025

Want to help wild deer survive the harsh winter? Don’t feed them!

During fall, a deer’s digestive system slowly changes to have a perfect combination of microbes and enzymes to digest its winter diet, which is mostly low-calorie woody vegetation. This amazing adaptation enables deer to survive long, lean winters with very little fresh food.

When suddenly fed supplemental foods like fruit and corn, the deer’s winter-adapted digestive system simply can’t adapt fast enough to properly digest these foods, and it will quickly succumb to acidosis, similar to what people with diabetes experience.

Some particularly healthy deer might survive being fed during winter, only to die later. Foods given by humans will disrupt the sensitive balance of the deer’s digestive system, making it unable to digest its normal winter diet, so it may die very slowly after several weeks of being unable to thrive on its ordinary winter staples. It may become weak, slow, or confused, or may suffer from bone deformities, or may grow skeletal and die of starvation.

Feeding deer can also encourage them to congregate unnaturally in one small area and to share a lot of germs, including those responsible for chronic wasting disease. Your good intentions could create ground zero for an epidemic!

Please don’t contribute to this problem. Enjoy your deer neighbors this winter without giving into the urge to “help” by feeding them.

31/12/2024

It's $2 Tuesday! Small amounts add up! PLEASE SHARE! CashApp $kmferret, VenMo -Whorley (0070), Zelle or Paypal to [email protected], Google Pay [email protected], check to 4233 Zephyrhills Dr NW, Acworth GA 30101, or rescue vet 770-642-1282.

31/12/2024

Celebrating New Year's.....

29/12/2024

Izzy, Lilly and Luna were my weakest struggling ferrets. Janice DeJesus took them in. She loves to help the ferrets that aren't thriving. This is the latest update: "Lilly was crunching epigen digestive today! First time I saw her eat more than soup! Izzy is nuts! Chasing cats etc! BTW Lilly was actually chasing cats today! Luna is still only eating soup but she dove into her soup today with no syringe and no spoon (while I held and cuddled her)." WooHoo!

29/12/2024

Someone commented on a post to give salmon oil for hairballs. This isn't accurate. Salmon oil lubricates the intestinal tract and helps things move through faster and easier. It doesn't actually grab hold of the fur and pull it through the system, like a hairball treatment or Vaseline.

HAIRBALLS - Ferrets get hairballs. Ferrets shouldn’t throw up like cats, so the hairballs must pass through the system. They must be given something to help the hairballs move through the system or a blockage can occur. Below is a pic of a large hairball surgically removed from a ferret.

To prevent hairballs, give a hairball remedy at least once a week. There are over the counter remedies, like what is used for cats.

During shedding season, give hairball remedy two to three times a week. If the ferret has 'blown' its coat (shed all the long guard hairs and only has soft undercoat), give three to four times a week. If you have more than one ferret and only one of the ferrets is shedding, they should all get hairball remedy twice week because they groom each other.

Many people make their own with a dime size amount of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) straight or mixed with salmon oil or something the ferret likes. Some people argue not to use petroleum jelly. However, it works exceptionally well at grabbing loose fur as its going through the intestines and is only in the system a short time with a small amount.

If you feed a soup mixture, baby food, etc. you can add a 1/2 teaspoon of canned pumpkin to a ¼ cup of soup. This may help move hairballs through as well. (Too much pumpkin can cause a firmer stool, which can worsen a hairball.)

Another good product is Poopin Pumpkin. It causes a gastric purging of the system, helping the body move fur through. It's also good for a ferret with diarrhea and/or constipation. I keep this on hand. https://www.rockyscreaturecomforts.com/product/poopin-pumpkin/

Some people use egg for hairball prevention. I’ve talked with numerous vets about this and they don’t believe there’s enough to the egg to actually move fur through the system or break it down. The acid in the stomach breaks down enough of the egg to keep it from pulling fur sufficiently through the system. An emulsifier can help break down the beginning of a hairball. Egg yolk lecithin is an emulsifier, but it’s not concentrated enough to be certain of breaking down a hairball. Either use a hairball remedy instead of or with the egg.

Some use salmon oil for hairball prevention. Salmon oil 'lubricates' the intestinal tract, making it easier for things to pass through. However, it has no substance to it to grab fur and pull it through the system. So, while it may help a piece of fur pass through the system, it's not likely to help the beginning of a hairball pass.

Other ways to prevent hairballs: frequently brush the ferret, wash the ferret bedding weekly and vacuum your house a lot. This gets rid of loose fur that can stick to and then be ingested by your ferret. I shake the ferret bedding outside really well before washing to get as much fur off of as possible. (This also helps the bedding wash better and keeps fur from accumulating in washer piping.)

26/12/2024

Izzy, Lilly and Luna went to a new home with Janice DeJesus. She likes to take in ferrets that aren't flourishing. She's got such a way with them. She brings them around or, at the very least, gives them the best last months of their lives. Izzy is 4 and has two bad spinal fractures. She needs to be on pain meds the rest of her life. She's already acting liking a crazy girl at the new place and is so happy. Lilly is about 1 and was found outside. She struggled for weeks here. Luna is 3 1/4 years old & recently diagnosed with 'failure to thrive.' I love this girl so much. She just wanted a home with one on one attention and we couldn't give her enough of that. Janice will. Many thanks to Aletha Summerlin. She was traveling that direction and met Janice to hand off the ferrets.