Thanks to our society’s exposure to animal-friendly programs and channels via Animal Planet and National Geographic shows, we have come to a higher sense of realization that not only cats, dogs, birds, and fish can be turned into household pets. These are not the only breed of creatures that need human protection and love and yet these are the animals who get the bulk of our state protection laws. It is highly unfortunate that the lowly Ferret, whose physical attributes resemble those of a European Polecat has been neglected and mislabeled as threats to our society instead.
The Ferret, domesticated relatives of the weasels, minks, and otters have the same attributes as those other pets upon whom we lavish love and affection. These animals have been proven to be “kittenish” and display the same qualities that make dogs and cats ideal household pets. It is highly intelligent, curious, and energetic. Kind of like a cross between the observant nature of the cat and the playfulness of the dog. In fact, it would be safe to compare most of the qualities that we find endearing in a ferret to a dog. However, it has the most enjoyable qualities of a pet cat. Ferrets tend to play like a cat, but be loyal and loving like a dog.
With this argument in mind, there should be no reason that owning a Ferret should be illegal in the state of California. After all, the animal poses no threat that we do not find to already be existing within the cat and dog breeds. In fact, it can be said that the California Department Of Fish and Game made a horrible mistake when it classified the Ferret as a “Wild Animal”. Ferrets have actually been domesticated house pets for hundreds of years since their kind were originally used as hunting guides. Much like the Bloodhound breed of dogs were.
The CDFG referenced the Ferret problem in New Zealand as support to their claim that Ferrets should be illegal. New Zealand has wild Ferrets running around in their forests and are considered pests by the native New Zealanders. Such a claim cannot be held true for domesticated Ferrets whose owners claim responsibility for their care, regulation, and existence the same way they would do for the other legal domesticated pets.
We have been battling to legalize the existence of Ferrets as domesticated pets in our homes since 1993. Over time, many other supporters of our cause have come to realize that Ferrets do not pose any bigger threat to the health of our people or the existence of our livestock than those that already exist because of cats and dogs that exist in farms or homes. The claims of the CDFG as per their reasons of banning Ferrets as domesticated pets do not make any sense because if we are to listen to and take these claims seriously, dogs and cats should also be banned as household pets. The animals I have previously mentioned have already been known and recorded to have attacked, bitten, or scratched children and infants, as well as adults. Domesticated Ferrets, as the name implies cannot possibly be a serious threat to native livestock as their nature and manner of living shall be controlled and dictated by the pet owner in the same manner as we dictate the lifestyle and activities of dogs and cats. As for there not being a Ferret Anti Rabies Vaccine in existence, all I can say is that developing it should have happened long ago. After all, these animals used to be used in hunting expeditions and I am more than sure that they had their fair share of Ferret bites as well. But they dealt with it just as we would learn to deal with it should owning Ferrets become legal in the state of California.
Owning a Ferret is just like owning a cat or dog. The way that the animal shall interact with people depends upon how these are trained and cared for. Once a Ferret is handled with love and care during the litter and nip training, it reacts to its human owners the same way dogs and cats do. With proper training, a Ferret may also be placed on a leash and walked around the neighborhood like one would a pet dog. Just like dogs, Ferrets can and should be neutered in order to prevent overbreeding, although domesticated ferrets have never been on the record as being able to breed in captivity due to lack of interaction with their kind. As for the danger that a domesticated Ferret can pose upon the native California wildlife, this claim has never been supported with facts. Just think about it, how can a domesticated animal, whose predatory instincts have been dulled, pose a threat upon any wildlife? Remember that a ferret cannot even survive in the wild for more than a few days without human intervention. What more a domesticated Ferret?
The health hazards that Ferrets pose are no more than one normally expects of a cat or dog. Just like the previously mentioned domesticated pets, the danger of being scratched or bitten exists although on a much lower degree of severity. A ferret weighing only 1-4 pounds cannot be expected to inflict the same damage as a 50-pound dog can impose upon a full-grown human or child. I will admit that a Ferret Anti-Rabies vaccine has yet to be developed in the event of a life-threatening bite. However, this is not the fault of the ferret but of the veterinary community which does not consider the Ferret as domesticated enough to warrant the development of such vaccines.
So far, only Hawaii and California have not seen the light in terms of the acceptability of the Ferret as a household companion. Even with the facts proving that all the fears and biases are unwarranted, California continues to ban the Ferret as a household companion. But after being presented with all the facts, don’t you think that it is time for the state to change its stand on the issue?