Posted by s_simpson on April 14, 2003 at 08:31:52:
In Reply to: Serious Questions posted by distortionz on April 11, 2003 at 21:08:17:
I don't mean for this question to sound rude or accusatory, but how much research did you do on ferrets before you bought one?
Ferrets are mustelids (mustelidae furo furo) -- members of the same family as weasels, otters, stoats, minks, and wolverines. Mustelids are between felines and canines, but more closely related to canines. This is based upon dention and bone structure -- chromosomally there is virtually no similarity whatsoever (beyond that which all carnivorous mammals share).
While your cats and ferret could exchange certain diseases (rabies, distemper, colds/flus, parasites), there is no documented case of ferrets suffering from feline leukemia (or another form of leukemia as far as I can recall).
