I don’t think I said or indicated that I wouldn’t be willing to help the family, @canidmajor. I think one of my suggested comments was “let me know if you need anything.”
I lived in a building that burned in a fire, and one of my cats jumped out the third floor window, never to be seen again. Losing most of my belongings and the trauma of being shut ouf of my apartment ten days before Christmas was hard enough, but losing the cat and not knowing what became of her made the whole experience extra sucky. I imagine having children who are upset about the loss of their two pets makes it extra-extra sucky, so I am totally sympathetic.
At a time like this, on FB, my wording would be totally kind and nothing that would possibly be misunderstood or mistaken for anything but kindness.
That’s just my opinion, and others may not feel the same way, which is fine.