Baby went in for her bladder surgery yesterday morning. Unfortunately, the tumor was inoperable. My vet said the tumor had completely invaded her bladder and had spread to a kidney as well. The bladder wall was nearly coming apart in spots and she didn't think she would even be able to sew her back up again, so we had no choice but to put her to sleep. Babe was the last of my original "Gang of Three". I found her 6 years ago sleeping in a food dish in a pet store. The owner said that she would comstantly empty her food bowl and go to sleep in it so they gave her another food bowl to sleep in. She had one of the thickest, softest coats of any ferret I knew, right up til the end. I entered her in the NJ ferret show in June and she won an 8th place ribbon in the championship classes. I've lost a lot of ferrets over the last 10 years (my own and shelter ferrets) and it never gets any easier. I'll miss her. [Posted in FML issue 1275]