What costs 3,000 bucks and takes 4.5 hours?

Removing a piece of thread from a cats digestive tract. While we were at the hospital Maggie got a hold of a spool of thread and ate approximately 8 feet of it. When we arrived home the thread was cut and the spool was on the floor. Soon we figured out what had happened because she started to pass it, all in one long string. We kept cutting it off and she kept putting more out. We cut off about 4 feet. She then proceeded to get sicker and sicker, vomiting, not eating or drinking and looking pretty rough. We took her to the vet and he found that it was actually tied around her tongue! He recommended surgery to remove the rest. He gave us a quote of 1,200 dollars. Do we have 1200 dollars you ask? No. Especially right now. But after 4.5 hours of surgery and 6 inches of her small intestine being removed, one night of intensive care and 2 days in the vet hospital, she is home and frisky as ever. The bill swelled to almost 3 thousand because of all the complications. She better live now darn it! I told her she can never have a potty accident again and she has to let Will carry her around and dress her in costumes when he grows up. She looks quite pitiful though in her collar and with a huge line of stitches up her belly. This month has to be one of the roughest in my life.