BUXTON – Blind and starving, Mocha arrived in tough shape in November at the Buxton-based Ferret Rescue of Maine.

The 3-year-old, dark sable female ferret had lost its hair and weighed a mere 11 ounces when it came to the shelter. She was unable to stand up.

Now, thanks to veterinary care and TLC, Mocha has bounced back to health. Her plight has prompted many postings on the shelter’s Facebook page.

“Mocha is doing awesome,” Crystal Kennedy, who with her husband James Kennedy operates the shelter, said Monday.

“It’s called a lot of TLC, time and feeding,” she said, explaining Mocha’s recovery.

Mocha weighed in at 1 pound and 14 ounces this week.

Ferrets, Kennedy said, are from the same family as mink, weasel and skunks.

“They are an excellent house pet,” she said.

Mocha’s experience as a house pet, however, was tragic.

Kennedy said Mocha was the worst case they had seen since opening their shelter in the basement of their home in 2001. It was the first case in which the shelter notified authorities.

“We hope her (Mocha’s) story would help others,” said Adam Ricci, Buxton’s animal control officer.

Ricci said that Mocha was surrendered to the shelter “due to her owner’s inability to provide needed care,” and, Ricci added, that there were underlying medical issues.

Ricci declined to name the previous owner or the community.

“It’s still an ongoing investigation,” Ricci said.

Mocha was dehydrated and needed blood tests, Ricci said.

Kennedy said a veterinarian put Mocha on antibiotics and fluids. Mocha’s vet bill ran $750, a bill that is now the shelter’s responsibility.

She said ferrets don’t usually go blind, and wondered whether malnutrition and dehydration led to Mocha’s loss of sight.

Ricci said the owner didn’t know Mocha was blind.

On Monday, Mocha was playing with several other ferrets at the shelter, located in the 28-by-40-foot basement of the couple’s home on Parker Farm Road. Because she was so sick, Mocha lives with the Kennedy family and five other ferrets, but visits ferret friends daily in the shelter at the home.

The shelter is licensed by the state and it is populated with 26 ferrets, all rescued from Maine and New Hampshire.

Ricci described ferrets as “playful, social” animals.

Kennedy said they have 20 “fun” ferrets ready for adoption, but not Mocha. She feeds Mocha every three to four hours but, when Mocha first arrived, she was fed hourly.

“She’s become quite the popular young lady on Facebook,” Kennedy said. “Everyone is concerned.”

James Kennedy is a shipping and receiving supervisor at Freightliner of Maine in Westbrook. Crystal Kennedy, who is looking for work after her job ended in October, is caring for two foster children – Dominic, 2, and Isabella, 11 weeks – at home.

The Kennedys, who hold shelter fundraisers like car washes, have spent quite a bit of their own money in caring for Mocha and other ferrets. To help defray Mocha’s veterinarian expenses, she said, donations also could be sent to Pine Point Animal Hospital in Scarborough.

In Buxton, police receive about five calls monthly regarding animal cruelty and cases have involved goats, cats, dogs and rabbits. In 2012, about five cases in Buxton led to prosecutions. Typical cases include leaving dogs in cars and no proper shelter for animals.

For owners unable to provide care for animals, there are rescues for every type of animal, Ricci said. Hoping to eliminate ordeals like Mocha’s, Ricci can direct pet owners to resources and help facilitate surrendering animals.

“Most people generally love their animals,” Ricci said. “We’re here to advocate for health of the animals.”

Crystal Kennedy of Ferret Rescue of Maine in Buxton holds Mocha, while Buxton Animal Control Officer Adam Ricci holds a ferret friend. At the shelter, the blind Mocha is recuperating after an owner surrendered the near-death pet in November.Ferret Rescue of Maine, a nonprofit shelter, rescues homeless ferrets. To donate, adopt or for more information, visit www.ferretrescueofmaine.org or www.facebook/ferretrescueofmaine.A closer look