Puss in Boots

Story

After his death, a Miller’s three sons divide his possessions between them. The youngest inherits only his cat. However, the cat promises to make his master rich if he gives him a pair of boots. Once booted, the fashionable feline schemes to bring his master from rags to riches by deceiving the king himself.

Why we chose it

Puss in Boots is one of the most notorious story cats.

Where it came from

Italian author Giovanni Straporola was the first to record the story in his Le Piacevoli Notti (1550-55). It next appeared in Giambattista Basile’s Pentamerone (1635). However, it was La Contes de ma Mère l’Oye (1697) by French author Charles Perrault that gave the puss its boots and made the story internationally famous. Fashion was very important in Perrault’s time, and boots symbolized climbing up a social ladder.

Where it went next

Perrault’s Le Maitre Chat was translated into English in 1729 as Puss in Boots. The cunning cat has appeared in numerous plays, books, and ballets, including Tchaikovsky’s the Sleeping Beauty (1889). He also features in several films and TV shows, perhaps most famously in Shrek 2 (2004) and its spinoff Puss in Boots (2011).

Associated stories

Perrault’s Mother Goose Tales also include The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Blue Beard.