For five years now people had put up with Finbarr talking constantly about his pet weasel. No one had seen it, although everyone had been invited to come for a look. And invited. And invited.
It was brown. It was friendly. It had a white chest. It was the cat’s pyjamas. It was unbelievably cute.
“No one seems interested ever in coming to see my pet weasel,” complained Finbarr at work. “No one! It’s pathetic.” Finbarr – it may come as no surprise – worked in a pet shop. It was the largest pet shop in the city.
Eventually, after much harping, Deidre said she would volunteer to go for a peek. It might help shut Finbarr up.
“My weasel!” declared Finbarr lovingly gathering Dillinger from its cage and presenting it to Deidre to pat.
Deidre didn’t have the heart to tell him that the thing wasn’t a weasel at all. It was a stoat.
Weave a Web 
Well I wouldn’t know the difference between a weasel and a stoat. I’m a Finbarr.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A stoat has a black tip on its tail – as in the picture. I only learned that when I wrote the story, Finbarr.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anyhow, they are pretty little critters.
Minx sends little play bites to you. I advise you freeze all movement until she stops ‘playing’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pussy Cat is fast asleep on my chair so I can’t move.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awwwwww
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe the stoat self identified as a Weasel? One never knows.
LikeLiked by 3 people
As long as it was confident in its gender.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Well I wouldn’t know the difference between a weasel and a stoat. I’m a Finbarr.” — Yvonne
Well, actually, I’m a Finbarr Plus.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was a Finbarr Plus until I wrote the story. In New Zealand weasels and stoats and pole cats are introduced and wreck havoc to the native birds, many of which are flightless. New Zealand had no mammals except for a tiny bat. So all these things on 4 legs are great decimators.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t take them there, honest, Sir.
Pole cats!? Another gap in my education.
What is the collective noun for a group of Finbarrs??
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lawyers is the collective noun – it comes from Barr.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought it was a ferret!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now you’ve got me ferreting for information.
LikeLike
Before I read the story I looked at the picture and thought ‘that’s a stoat,’. 😂
LikeLike
Now I am even more amazed at your erudition!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😂
LikeLike
Count me as a Finbar but they’re all cute!
LikeLike
I once had a stoat/weasel run across my path – it was too quick for me to tell if it had a black tip, so I will never know…
LikeLiked by 1 person
They certainly are fast! My cat got one however! They are a great pest over here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
According to Wikipedia, where all good Finbars get reliable information, a stoat is a type of weasel. So I guess the joke’s on Diedre.
LikeLike