My Name is Lancelot

         Hi my name is Lancelot and I am a ferret. My fur used to be very dark with a white streak down the back of my head. Now my fur is very light but I still have my streak. I am called a blaze because of my streak. I am also deaf…that means I don’t hear. Some people think that I should be upset because I can’t hear all the things my six brothers and one sister can, but I like who I am now.

         When I first came to live with my mommy, she is a human; I was very small and scared of all the different smells and sights that were in my new home. Mommy didn’t know I couldn’t hear and I would squeal when she picked me up from behind. Sometimes I got so frightened I would bite her hand. My mommy was very worried about me. She looked up all kinds of things on the Internet about ferrets. She found something written there that sounded like me.

          It said that I might be deaf because it is genetic defect, which means something isn’t right, in my kind of coloring. They had some tests to see if I might be deaf. Mommy let me out of my sleeping area and stood behind me and clapped. First she thought I might be ignoring her. She then rattled our treat box. I really like my treats but I didn’t know she had shaken the box. So we found out that I can’t hear. Mommy now makes sure that I see her before she picks me up.

          I don’t bite anymore, as I am not scared because it isn’t a surprise. When Mommy wants my attention she thumps the floor with her hand until I look at her and I can see her talking to me with her hands. This is called sign language and lots of deaf humans use this to communicate. While I can’t sign back because I have paws I do know what she is saying to me. Well most of the time some times I ignore her because there is just so much playing to do and I don’t want to go to my sleeping area. I just want to play.

          One of my favorite toys is a rolled up sock. They are so soft and cuddly. Sometimes I hide them in different places. Other times I grab it and jump around with it in my mouth. My mommy laughs at me when I do this and tells me I am cute. My other fun thing to do is to sit on my mommy’s lap while she is writing stories on the computer. I like watching but sometimes I have to try and type too. She says I don’t know my ABC’s yet so I can’t spell very well. She giggles at my attempts. I like it when my mommy gives me hugs and kisses.