I am sorry about your father. Thank you for sharing your most cherished moment with Mel. I know that she must have known how much you needed her - and she probably needed you, too. I remember an opposite situation when my own father died, and he and my mother had two cats. Both of them were especially close to him, but one in particular was his special pet - they had little routines together and she would sleep stretched out by his side in bed every night. I wondered how she would get over his loss - but she is so wonderful. Six years later, she is going strong, and deeply attached to my mother - and now becoming attached to my mother's brand new husband, who had a phobia of cats before becoming married to my mother. Love is a powerful healer, and in my experience, cats can be full of love. In fact, when my Myrtille used to lie on my chest and purr and exude love, I called her a "love poultice." Sometimes I think they were put on earth to give us the love we would never find otherwise, and to teach us to be just a little more loving in our lives. Take care, and may you feel better as time goes on and you are comforted in the memory of all the good that you remember about your father.