I'm sorry to hear that it's been so rough, @Winchester. It sounds really hard :(
I'm glad that you are in your own house, had your coffee this morning, and came to share your thoughts and feelings on this board. They may seem small but every one of these acts I'm sure brought a bit of comfort...
I've always liked my last name, it felt like part of me. However, one summer when I was a teenager while I was visiting my paternal grandparents, I learned, during a random conversation with them, that when my grandpa was a teenager fighting in the war he had changed his last name...which means...
I've been using a lot of Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel. We don't have Trader Joe's here in Canada, so when I occasionally go down into the US I hoard bottles and bottles of it to bring back :D
Welcome to TCS! Sounds like you are doing all the right things! Good for you! Don't be too hard on yourself. Cats' play patterns change as they grow older, and sometimes even with the change of seasons I find.
One thing I can think of is to rotate through the toys they are interested in; i.e...
I don't watch a lot of comic strips, but I do enjoy them when I come across them. I like the one with Snoopy because they are cute. And the only comic strip cat I know and happen to really enjoy is Garfield!