Badger, DH and I lost our little cat Tuffy at 16 in April and felt the way you described for months. I'm feeling for you. We still felt sadness in August when we adopted a cat from the Humane Society. She is the neatest little cat and having her has helped a lot, but we still miss Tuff. Go ahead and cry, it's ok to miss that loving little soul that graced your life for so long. Everyone's different - I pray every day, so I pray "Thank You for giving us Tuffy to love." We miss them because we were so grateful to have them in our lives. Many hugs to you.