Can't take my cat anymore + When should I adopt a cat?

Unfortunately, after some time to think I made the difficult decision to leave my cat with my parents instead of taking him with me to the states. As much as I was hoping I could, I realize my parents were right and the place that will make him happiest is at home with them. There he won't have to worry about moving from home-to-home so frequently and getting stressed out. My parents may not always be the brightest but I know they will take good care of him. It helps that we talk more often and I'm happy to know they're are now embracing more holistic approaches to pet care. I love him. In many ways he's the best cat ever and I don't want any other. I'm the one who found him as a stray and took him in. It's a little funny but it feels like I'm a parent seeing my first child go. I'm still sad and a little hurt I can't take him but I know it's best for him.

At least I can enjoy him while I'm here. I'm going to miss him so much.

However once we stabilize, we do plan on adopting a kitty along with getting a german shepherd puppy.

I'm debating between two scenarios.

Option 1: Get the cat first then the dog a year later.
We'd focus on adopting the kitty first and see how we can handle taking care of a single pet financially. The dog probably won't join the family until one or two years afterwards.
or
Option 2: Get the cat and dog within the same year.
We're adopt the cat first with the intention of getting the dog shortly after, possibly around 4 - 9 months afterwards.

What do you think would be the better scenario? In option 1 it will be easier for us to judge how we can financially support a pet and make a better call when we'll be ready to take care of our dog. As newly weds we're still trying to budget and see how our cost of living is. Ideally, we'd like to a adopt a cat that's between 4-8 months or generally under a year ( but who knows who we will fall in love with?) so I'm hoping that by the time our cat turns two years of age or a little over (three oldest) we'd get our dog.

In option 2 I can see it working better to raise the cat and dog together. The cat will just be a little older than our dog but still a kitten, so probably more adventurous and open-minded to the dog. I'm guessing having them see each-other as litter mates may be a possibility in this scenario. However of course, this means we'd have to wait longer and not have any pets for a while, which in all honesty, I generally can't live without a pet in my life lol


Thoughts?

I admit this is the relationship I'm hoping my pets will have with each other:

Oh honey, it's heart breaking leaving a kitty behind when you are moving, but sometimes that is what is best for them. When I had to move back to the states after living overseas I had to find homes for my kitties because A) I couldn't afford the $500 plane fare for each of them, and B) I was moving back in with my terminally ill mother who was deathly allergic to cats so bringing them with me was not an option. But, I was heartbroken, and you are absolutely right...these are our kids and it kills us to leave them behind. At least you know your kitty will be in a good home with your parents and you can call or email to see how he's doing.

About the kitten and puppy, we had a chocolate lab puppy and 3 kittens at the same time, and I would NOT recommend getting a big dog puppy and a kitten together. They all grew up happy and healthy and get along fine but I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown for a year. Snickers apparently mistook the kittens as living "squeak toys" so I was constantly supervising to make sure she didn't accidently love them to death. I think getting a kitten first then adding a puppy in a year or so would be the best (at least from my experience). That way the cat is big enough to protect itself and run away if things get to rough but is still young enough to want to play and bond with the pup. Of course, a lot has to do with the cat's personality and how open it is to inter-species relationships. 

That's a good way to think about it, thank you very much for your shared experience!  I'm hoping to adopt a cat with a confident personality so he/she will feel less intimidated by a large puppy. I'll be sure to give them a proper and gradual introduction. Perhaps I can even find a kitty who has had some dog experience in the past/ with their foster family.