Not to mention declawing cats so they don't trash the furniture
I'm sure some of the Urban ferret fans will be along shortly to extol the virtues of their friends.
Knotted
Well OK then.
Firstly I will say that all my ferrets are rescues. There's a big problem with unwanted or abandoned pet ferrets, unwanted ex-workers, ferrets breeders can't sell (supply tends to outstrip demand) and lost ferrets. Contrary to popular belief, ferrets are domesticated animals and do not survive in the wild so the next best thing to giving these animals a home is euthanise them. I'm really not a big fan of breeding them. If you want one, go to a rescue and they will give you a ferret that's already used to being handled. Young kits will need to be nip trained and are not suitable for beginners, there is no good reason to go to a breeder and drive up demand.
As pets...
They are social animals and generally are happier with a buddy or two at least (though you do get loners). You don't really want them running about your house because they aren't very good at using litter trays. So ferrets are usually kept caged. This isn't so bad as they will naturally sleep about 18 hours a day,
but they will require several hours of out time so that they can have a play and a sniff about. They're a small, vulnerable and therefore insecure animal and feeling safe is essential to their happiness and willingness to play. They get on well with non-cruel humans because those humans will make them feel safe and some will happily snuggle up on your lap. Generally they aren't bitey and if they're neutered they aren't
that smelly (you will need to do something about the jills as they will get aplastic anemia if you don't neuter them). They're good natured, they tend to relax when you pick them up, they won't avoid you (except some with a large percentage of polecat in them) and they're a lot fun. They won't be your best buddy, but they will quietly respect a friendly giant who feeds them and keeps them safe. You can leave them caged up and go to work all day. If they've had their exercise they'll just be sleeping anyway. Overall it isn't difficult to make a happy home for a small group of ferrets though they're not for everyone.
To give you an idea of how easy it is to keep ferrets, I have a friend who runs a rescue (just her and her husband and the occasional volunteer helper in their garden) of about 200 ferrets. She's both nuts and hyper organised/capable (you need to be both of those things to do this), but managing that number of ferrets on your own (while working part time) is something doable.