Chris, I am sorry for your loss. I know her loss is painful. Her picture is adorable.
I am heartened, as I hope you are, by seeing that more and more people are realizing that not only human beings have souls; that all life posesses a spark of Divine energy. These animals that bring us so much unconditional love, recognize us, play with us, who stay close by our sides when we are not feeling well and who comfort us when they sense we are feeling down, must have souls. They are so patient with us when we expect them to understand our language, never we theirs. I remember a line from a prayer for animals that asks The Creator to bless all of the animals a little extra because they have no words for prayers. Maybe they don't need words for prayers because they have other ways of expressing their joy, sorrow, gratitude, fear and love, both to us and to their Creator whose eye is on the sparrow.
Animals amaze me so. I enjoyed watching Meerkat Manor and, while I knew that they were small animals, I was amazed when the little guy in the litter of 3 emerged for the first time from underground and stood on the crest of the tunnel opening. The narrator said that he was the height of an adult's index finger! I had no sense of scale from the video and was in awe of so much life and spirit in one so tiny.
Chris, we all send you comfort in your loss and know that your grief is genuine and deep because most of us have suffered similar losses.