Thankyou for the welcome, shakes! And Wants2Fly. Giving homes to my pets is just part of detaching myself from them emotionally. I love them like little kids. I have a chihuahua which isn't much trouble, and a cat. Also being away from home makes me feel as if I have deserted them. Another big aspect of detaching myself is my parents. We moved them in with us to help them out as they are aging, now I am losing it. Love them, would like to move them back, but have put ourselves in a situation where they can't really afford to be moved back. I have always dealt with the depression, but dealing with my mother has me feeling like I can't handle things appropriately. Had a difficult time emotionally growing up, and before we moved them in thought 'I am a big girl. They can't hurt me anymore.'