I just got off the phone with Les. The "string" that was causing the blockage in Bastet's gut turned out to be a rubber band that somehow stretched the entire length of her small intestine. There's not enough left to be able to repair. So she's being put to sleep, and we're not even able to be there to comfort her in the end.

L's bawling her head off, trying to get to class safely, and I'm here at work ready to cry myself.

I'm about ready to crawl under a rock and stay there for a few years...

Edit: Changed the subject - Bastet was born in 1999, not 2000. It's still too young.