Woman with nickname 'Zoo' runs ferret sanctuary in her own home

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KIRKLAND -- Take one trip to Cathy Strobach's home and you'll find out how she has earned the nickname "Zoo." For the record, she has three dogs, three rabbits, a couple of chickens and an emu. Oh, by the way, she also has 56 ferrets in a room adjoined to her kitchen. Strobach is the head of Zoo's Ferret Sanctuary, a not-for-profit organization that provides a "safe haven" for mistreated and unwanted ferrets. "This is a forever home," the ferret-loving Strobach said. "The buck stops here. Some of (the ferrets) have had three to five prior homes." Merry was the first ferret to come through the doorway at the Strobach home. That was five years ago. Her love for the animal fostered a willingness to take in others that were unwanted or abused. "All at once I just became a dumping ground," she said. "Our family room became a ferret room real quick." Each resident of Zoo's Ferret Sanctuary has a name, which Strobach never forgets. "They're my children," Strobach, an empty-nester, said. "I mean I have two daughters and grandchildren, but (the ferrets are) my babies." Not only can "Zoo" tell you the ferrets' names, but she also can relate the stories of how each one came to her home. There's Marjorie, who was found in an outdoor toilet at a forest preserve near Rockford. Wally was picked up after he was seen roaming the aisles of Wal-Mart in DeKalb. Strobach takes the ferrets to her home and helps nurse them back to health. She even gives them shots. However, once they arrive at Strobach's home, they stay there. She does not allow them to go to another owner for fear they might be hurt again. "I have been the target of some criticism because I don't adopt out," she said. "One of the boys I have was thrown against a wall and he still walks with a limp. How could I adopt him out after nursing him back to health?" While she may have some detractors, Strobach has found fellow ferret enthusiasts on the Internet who are fully supportive of her actions. One of them, who lives in New York, called her one recent afternoon. "Are you OK? Babies OK?" Strobach asked the woman during the phone conversation. "Listen, I'm going to put a little package in the mail for Sugar and Spike." One of Strobach's closest ferret-loving friends is Sondra Braid, who lives in Bastrop, Texas. Braid teaches life skills classes to female inmates at the Wackenhut Corrections facility in Lockhart, Texas, which is about 35 miles southeast of Austin. Braid's students have been knitting and sewing items such as stockings and slippers that are being sold to raise money for Zoo's Ferret Sanctuary. "They may have done some horrible things, but it doesn't mean they don't want to do something besides what the state tells them to do," Braid said. After reading on Strobach's Web site, www.zoosferretsanctuary.com, about all of the surgeries required for the sick ferrets, Braid wanted to help immediately. "I just wrote her a note and sent her a little money," Braid said. That wasn't enough for Braid. She wanted to do more to help alleviate some of the costs of running the sanctuary. Braid had the idea for a fund-raiser, which was approved by the warden in July, and the inmates began knitting. She sees the situation as "people that a lot of people don't care about helping animals a lot of people don't care about." It seems as though the felons, who are mostly in the minimum security prison on drug and alcohol convictions, have grown to love the furry little creatures that are housed in a completely different state. "They want to know how's 'Zoo' and how they can help," Braid said. At times, other owners will send Braid pictures of their ferrets. In turn, Braid shows the pictures to her students at the prison. "These felons don't want any money out of the deal," Strobach said. "They just want to help. For people who are supposed to be the scum of the earth, they are just amazing." However, not all of the custom-made items are getting sold. Braid, who was struck by lightning in October, has not been able to go out and sell the goods at shows. A Web site has been set up to help peddle some of the items. "I just don't want to let the felons nor 'Zoo' down," Braid said. "I still have $6,000 worth of stuff to sell."