In the Brothers Grimm tale “Puss in Boots,” the miller’s youngest son inherits a cat.
The inheritance seems disappointing because his two older brothers receive the mill and the donkey. The cat, however, can speak and promises to improve its new master’s fortunes. It asks for a sack and a pair of boots, then begins presenting gifts to the king in the name of its supposed master, the Marquess of Carabas.
Through clever claims, staged hunts, and manipulation of an ogre, the cat raises the young man’s social position. The tale’s central joke is that the animal’s intelligence and performance matter more than the value of the initial inheritance.
The Grimms’ version is one among many European forms of the story. Charles Perrault’s French version is especially famous, and modern adaptations often emphasize the cat’s boots more than the inheritance dispute.