My fancy rat (domesticated brown rat) named Harvey died last week. He developed pneumocystis carinii that caused pneumonia, probably due to his old age. Harvey was my companion, just like a dog or a cat is to some people, but no one -- except my best friend -- was sympathetic when he died. There's this stigma that rats carry dangerous diseases, like the plague, and for that reason most people are insensitive when a pt rat dies.

I said all that to tell you guys that I searched on Amazon for a pet loss book that wasn't dog, cat or horse focused. I found Pet Loss: A Spiritual Guide by Julia Harris. It is awesome. It helped me understand and get through grief. It also gave me much needed spiritual advice to understanding that animals have souls, and they each have a purpose. I can;t say enough about this book. I found out the author has a blog petshavesouls.com which everybody should check ouit.