Here is a GREAT article addressing many of the common myths about ferrets like:
Aren't ferrets related to rats?
Descended from the Siberian or European polecat, ferrets are mammals but definitely not rodents. They are members of the weasel family and are related to minks, ermines, otters, skunks, badgers, and wolverines. (It's true that these wild cousins are likely to eat a rat.) The scientific name for the domestic ferret is Mustela putorius furo. Read more...

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Sue Jan wrote an interesting article on this subject.  See below:

If you love pets that are quiet and cute, then ferrets will be the right choice. Because by their very appearance, many people tend to mistake them for rodents but they are actually more like a cross between a cat and a dog.  Read more...

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The origin of ferrets as a domestic animal is unclear. Ferrets belong to the weasel family (Mustelidae) and are related to mink, skunks, weasels, otters and badgers. Ferrets are the only domestic subspecies in this family and they should not be confused with the Blackfooted Ferret, an endangered species which is only distantly related. Ferrets are dry temperate climate creatures - they have a summer and winter coat, tolerate cold well but suffer when temperatures exceed 20C, and have a ...
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