Gretel came to us first. She was an orphaned kitten who my vet rescued along with her brother Hansel. Both were very sickly and Hansel passed away. Gretel was still at the vet's a couple of months later because she tested positive for ringworm. After my own cat, Captain Jack, passed away, just a month shy of 15, I realized I wanted another cat to help me with his loss.
I called my vet's office to inquire if they had any black kittens, because it was Jan 13th and a Friday.

And that is how Gretel came into my life. It was near one month after I agreed to adopt her that I got to bring her home after she was deemed clear of ringworm. When she was at the vets, I would visit her everyday so we could get to know each other. I just couldn't stay away from her. Gretel really helped heal my pain and she is such a wonderful girl!

After we had her a couple of months, my boyfriend decided that she needed a friend. He told me to find a male kitten and that we would name him Hansel. So, home came Hansel and after some time, Gretel and Hansel became very close. We love having them and watching their antics and just enjoying their company. They are a great joy to us and we just love having them in our home. As you can tell from their photo, they are very striking. Hansel is in front, Gretel is behind him. And although Hansel is larger than Gretel, he is a male juvenile, while Gretel was one year old last July '06.