I was searching the Cook County website for information on the county’s tax on soft drinks and – you know how it is – one Google search led to another.
And before I knew how, I found ferrets.
You may well ask: What does Cook County have in common with ferrets?
It seems the county will inoculate pet ferrets against rabies. Each year during warm-weather months, the county gives rabies vaccinations to dogs, cats and ferrets. Cost for a one-year inoculation is $7 for dogs and cats, $9 for ferrets.
I don’t get it, myself. Ferrets look kind of bitey to me. Then again, I probably don’t look so hot to a ferret.
The American Ferret Association – you heard me right, the American Ferret Association – says ferrets don’t bite any more than dogs and cats. Ferrets and humans have gone together for thousands of years, back to ancient Egypt even.
Ferrets are a domesticated polecat. And if you think ferrets look kind of weasely, you are right. Ferrets belong to the weasel family Mustelidae. The family includes mink, skunks, weasels, otters, badgers and ferrets.
Not everyone views ferrets so benignly. In 1999, the city of New York banned the sale of ferrets as dangerous animals, along with lions and other dangerous animals.
But millions of Americans disagree and like the little codgers. And it doesn’t seem as if Cook County officials view ferrets as a danger since they are willing to inoculate ferrets against rabies.
Ferrets can cost anywhere between $100 and $200. And there are many ferret accouterments – ferret chow, ferret toys, etc.
Ferret fanciers might be able to recoup some of these costs from the county, which has a rebate program for neutering some pets.
Check with your veterinarian to see if he or she is participating. The rebates are for up to $40.
For details, call the Cook County Department of Animal Control at 708-974-6140.
Remember, this program is just for dogs, cats and ferrets.
You are on your own with boa constrictors, which may or may not need neutering. I refuse even to contemplate that question.
Well, where was I?
Guess I was sidetracked.
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Back to looking for information on that soft drink tax.
Paul Sassone is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.