I am so sorry for your loss! I hope you will consider getting a new furbaby. My mom has had 3 cats for the last 15 years since my dad passed away. She lost two of them in the last 2 years and was very negative when I mentioned her getting another cat. Then my brother's stepdaughter found out she could not keep her one year old cat in her new apartment. My mom adopted Soup(I know - odd name), and then a few months later lost the last of her 3 other cats. She is so glad to have her now! If you can't deal with a puppy maybe go to the Humane society to find an adult , house broken dog to fill that empty space.