Hi everyone!

Hello, friends. I know I haven't been around here much for the past month or so... I've been unemployed for over a year and a half and have also been dealing with some personal and health issues. Bless my dear little Holland; in the past 10 months she has lived in 4 different places and has been my anchor through this hard time.

We're currently living with my mom (my dad passed away a year and half ago or so), and it took about 3 weeks, but Holland finally rubbed up on my mom's leg and let my mom pet her. For those of you who sort of "know" Holland, my mom put it best: "That is the most timid animal I've ever seen in my life".

We're living in the basement, which - square-footage-wise - is about as big as my condo, but Holland does have the run of the house and is getting braver and braver about coming upstairs when my mom and I are having dinner, playing cards, or watching TV.

My sister and BIL used to own their own business and have been dealing with bankruptcy for the past couple of years and are also moving in at the end of this month. So, in a few weeks, Holland will be introduced to my sister, BIL, 2 nieces, one nephew, and 2 dogs!! My mom has been great about planning out where Holland can have her own space to hide away - she is going to install a pet door in the workroom in the basement that the kids will not be allowed into. The workroom is safe, there's lots of shelves for her to climb on and lots of nooks and crannies for her to hide.

One of my nieces is severely allergic to cats, and when I first moved in, I told my mom that I was afraid someone would force me to get rid of my cat, and she assured me "Nobody will make you get rid of your cat". Those were about the best words I ever heard. I don't have many people in my "real" life who understand how important she is to me, so it's nice to have the assurance that Holland is my family, and will be treated like it.

Anyway, I didn't mean to write a novel here, just wanted everyone to know we're doing fine. My mom loves that Holland is "earning her keep" by chasing down moths and houseflies... I will have to get my camera out and try to get some new pics of my little love.

Welcome back!! I wondered where you went off to. Glad to hear that you and Holland are doing okay.

My situation is very similar to yours (minus the children - it's me, my parents and their 2 dogs, and my 85-year-old grandmother in this house, my sister moved out in January)...it gets a little crazy at times, but it's not so bad. Are you going to allow Holland the dogs to meet/mix at all? Or would that be a bit much for her? I am a PM away if you need advice on juggling canines and felines!

I've been out of work myself for about 15 months now, and one of the few "positives" is that you'll get to spend lots of time with your family. I still try to stick to "my" space upstairs for a good portion of the day, though - keeps us from getting TOO cozy with one another. You'll have plenty of opportunity to spend some real quality time with your nieces and your nephew, which is excellent!

Now, we expect new pictures ASAP! Can't wait to see what new fashion accessories Holland has managed to turn into nap spots!

Hola y bienvenido nuevamente a TCS, ...Catulina

Milky

& Horacio

te saludan!!!........

(Translate: Hi and Welcome BACK to TCS, Catulina, Milky & Horatio, say hello to you!!!... )




I hope you find not only old members, but also new good members here, Please feel again as your home and ask whatever you need to know, there are plenty of good members and of course our tireless Mod´s to help us here!....

See you on the forums!, Glad that you re-join us!

Glad you are back. You mom sounds like a doll.

HI! It's great to get news of you and Holland! Hope you can come in more often, and yes, new pics would be nice!

Welcome back......I'm so glad you're doing OK.

Your mother sounds like such a sweetheart! Give her a hug from us and tell her how special she is.

Can't wait to see some new pictures of Holland!

Good to hear that Holland is adapting so well and, as someone else said, your Mom sounds like a sweetheart! I hope things start to look up employment wise for your family.
Welcome back!

You are very lucky to have such an understanding mother and she sounds like she really cares about Holland. As long as Holland has her own space, I'm sure everything will work out well. Just be there when the kids want to see Holland, sometimes they can be a little too feisty around cats.

Thanks, everyone, for the nice replies!

Amanda - I imagine that Holland will mainly be segregated from the dogs. She's afraid of them and I can see her having no interest in meeting them whatsoever. HOWEVER... to make a long story short, my little brother is moving into my condo and taking over the mortgage at least for the summer. His dog (and my mom's FAVORITE) Mallie will be moving in here so she has a yard and space to run around. Jake is my sister's dog - he is a labradoodle, and to put it kindly, we think he was absent the day they taught dogs how to interact with other dogs. He and Mallie seem to do OK together, but I can see Holland wanting nothing to do with Jake.

When I was staying at my mom's over Christmas, Holland and Mallie actually had a semi-interaction. Holland came to the main floor to explore and Mallie stayed put on her bed (bless her, I'm not a dog person, but I love, love, love Mallie!) and allowed Holland to pace by the bed a few times. I thought Holland would FREAK, but she was more interested in just checking out what that big black thing was laying on the bed. I think Holland and Mallie will be OK, if it comes to it, but I can't see Holland wanting anything to do with Jake. He's a spaz.

Anyway, the dogs will NOT be allowed downstairs. The tough part is that my room doubles as the kids' playroom. I assured my mom this is fine with me, if I need to get school work done I can take my laptop up to the office. As long as the kids stay out of Holland's "room" (the workroom) everybody should be happy. I stayed with my brother and SIL for 4 months late last year, and Holland had become accustomed to my 3-year-old nephew coming down to visit her. She's very jumpy, very wary, but with a long period without major changes, she gets more and more comfortable. I'm really hoping by the end of all this my nieces and nephew will have an appreciation of cats (many of my family are allergic, and cats have been biased against for a looooong time).

I am excited about having the kiddos here. My sister and I lived together before she got married, and we were only a couple miles apart when she had her kids. I worked for her in her home-based business, so I have spent countless hours with her kids. I'm somewhere in the gray area between "aunt" and "mom #2". They are great kids, though, and I'm excited to be able to spend time with them.

My mom is thrilled, because until I moved in last month she'd been living alone since my dad died, now all of a sudden she's facing a full house again! There will definitely be an adjustment period for all of us, but my family is very close and I'm looking forward to the changes.

Now, I just need to find a job!!!!!

Amanda - if I need your expertise on canines and felines I will be sure to drop you a PM

CoolCat - Thanks for the gift!! Your posts always make me smile, and I am completely in love with your little Horatio...

Lastly, here is a pic of my little brother and Mallie. He loves that dog more than anything...

Just found a picture of Jake the labradoodle. Here he is with my sister and her boyfriend's Weimereiner, "Biggie Smalls". My family seems to LOVE the big dogs!!