DR MBarnum, when I lost my ancient 22 year old kitty, I found great comfort at
www.petloss.com . They have a chat room and there's almost always someone to talk to, live, who is feeling the same thing you are. They got me through many times when I was so sad that I couldn't sleep. Scroll down and you will see the chat room. The people with "wolf" at the end of their name are people who have been through the grieving process and are there to help others through their own grief. I haven't been there lately, but my name is Artywolf.