I don't mean to trivialize grieving, but I've dreamt of my cat after she died. She was a feral rescue, and never quite seemed to totally adjust to the life of an indoor pet. She had a mysterious ailment and gradually got weaker and weaker until finally her hind legs gave out, and she lay down to sleep and never awoke. A number of vets told me it was probably cancer, but it had obviously progressed very far and there were no recommended treatments.

In the dream I heard her distinctive meowing outside of my bathroom window so I opened it to look out on a lush green lawn. This was odd because my bathroom window is on the second story. Anyway, she was sitting there, looking at me, and there were a great many other cats sitting around as well. I had the distinct impression that she was letting me know that she was once again outdoors, happy, in the company of like-minded felines, and that I didn't have to blame myself for not giving her kitty dialysis or radiation or whatever. She groomed herself and casually walked away, and I awoke, feeling much better. Whatever the 'dream of the dead' mechanism is, it seems pretty universal.