The Cat in Boots Fairy Tale

Once there was an old miller. Before he passed away, he divided his inheritance among his children. He left the mill to his eldest son, a donkey to his middle son, and a cat to his youngest son. The youngest son was not pleased with this inheritance, feeling it was of little value, and he was quite upset.

“Brothers,” he said, “if I were with you, I would surely find food to eat. If I were to slaughter this cat for a meal, what would be left for me but its skin? Isn’t this the same as dying of hunger?” His brothers did not pay him any mind. Hearing this, the cat calmly advised him:

“Do not worry, my master.”

“If you could find me a suitable pair of boots for walking through the grass and a sack, then you will soon see that you are regretting for nothing!” The owner did not know whether to believe the cat or not. However, he was aware of the cat's cunning and agility in catching mice and rats: how it would lie still like it was dead and then pounce with its hind legs, or bury its head in the flour to pull it out. After acquiring the necessary items, the cat dressed up, slung the sack over its shoulder, and headed into the deep woods. At the bottom of the sack were some bran and cabbage leaves. The cat, lying still like it was dead on the grass, waited for some unsuspecting rabbit to fall into its trap. It wasn’t long before a naive rabbit came bounding along and jumped right into the sack. The cat quickly tied the sack shut, put the rabbit inside, and set off. It then carried its catch to the king’s palace. It stated that it wished to meet the king. Eventually, the king agreed to receive the cat. Upon entering the palace, the cat bowed and said:

 “This has been sent to you by my esteemed master, the Marquis de Carabas.” The king was surprised and accepted the gift. As the cat was leaving, it said:

 “Please convey my thanks to your lord; I am grateful for the gift.” A few days later, the cat went to the fields and opened the sack. It hid among the tall stalks. This time, it caught two pheasants in its trap. The cat tied the sack shut again and brought the pheasants to the king. The king joyfully accepted this gift as well and ordered the cat to be fed. Thus, two or three months passed. The cat continued to bring game to its master, the Marquis de Carabas. One day, the cat heard that the king was going for a ride along the riverbank with his unparalleled, beautiful daughter. “Will you do exactly as I say?” the cat asked its master.

– “If you do, your fortune is in your hands. All I need from you is to bathe in the river where I show you. Leave the rest to me.” The Marquis de Carabas did exactly as the cat said. However, he did not understand why he was doing it. At that moment, the king’s carriage was passing along the riverbank. The cat then shouted at the top of its lungs, running toward the carriage: “Come quickly, come quickly! Help! The Marquis de Carabas is drowning!” Upon hearing this cry, the king opened the carriage door and recognized the cat, who had brought him gifts several times. He immediately sent his guards to rescue the Marquis de Carabas. While the poor Marquis was being pulled from the water, the cat managed to tell the king that thieves had robbed its master of everything (in reality, it had hidden its master’s clothes under a large stone). The king ordered his servants to dress the Marquis in the finest clothes from the palace. The garments fit him perfectly, transforming him into a handsome young man. The king’s daughter, upon seeing him, thought, “This is the man I have been dreaming of.” The Marquis de Carabas had also cast a few glances at her and fell hopelessly in love. The young Marquis pleased the king as well. The king, showing great generosity, invited him to ride with him in the carriage. The cat, pleased that its plan was coming together, ran ahead of the carriage. On the way, it saw some peasants cutting grass.

 “Hey, kind people,” shouted the Cat, “if you don’t tell the king that ‘This meadow belongs to the Marquis de Carabas,’ he will chop all of you into pieces for meat!” At that moment, the king’s carriage arrived. The king leaned out of the window and asked:

 “Whose grass are you cutting?”

 “It belongs to the Marquis de Carabas,” replied the peasants, as the cat had frightened them greatly.

 “Your estate is marvelous, Marquis!” exclaimed the king.

 “Yes, your majesty, this meadow yields an abundant harvest of grass every year,” he replied politely. At that moment, the cat ran ahead again. On the way, it encountered some reapers working in the fields.

 “Hey, kind people,” it shouted, “if you don’t tell the king that ‘All this grain belongs to the Marquis de Carabas,’ he will chop all of you into pieces for meat!” After a while, the king arrived at the fields. He asked who owned the land.

 “It belongs to the Marquis de Carabas,” they replied. The king was once again pleased with the Marquis. The cat continued to run ahead, ensuring that everyone it met said, “This is the house of the Marquis de Carabas,” “This is the flour mill of the Marquis de Carabas,” “This is the garden of the Marquis de Carabas.” The king was astonished by the young Marquis’s wealth. Finally, the cat stopped in front of a grand castle. This was the residence of a very rich ogre. No one in the world was richer than him. In fact, all the wealth lying along the path of the king’s carriage belonged to him. The cat had already learned who this giant was and where his strength lay, so it requested to be received. The ogre graciously accepted this request and invited the cat to rest. The cat, calming its fear, politely asked: “You seem to possess many wonderful powers. Can you transform into any animal, like a lion or an elephant? Is this possible?”

 “Indeed it is,” the ogre bellowed,

 “Let me prove it to you! Look here!” At that moment, he transformed into a giant lion. The cat was terrified and jumped onto the roof. It was quite dangerous to walk on the roof with its boots. When the giant returned to his original form, the cat came down, saying that its heart nearly burst from fright.

 “I want to see if you can do this!” said the cat. “They say you can even take the form of the smallest creatures, like a rat or a mouse. Is that true? But to be honest, I think this is impossible.”

 “Look and see!” roared the ogre.

 “Then watch closely.” In an instant, he transformed into a mouse. The mouse scurried across the floor. The cat chased after it and caught it. Just then, the king, who was admiring the beautiful grand castle, decided to stop there. Hearing the sound of the king’s carriage on the stone bridge, the cat rushed out to greet him, shouting:

 “Welcome to the castle of the Marquis de Carabas, your majesty!”

 “What? Marquis?” the king exclaimed in amazement.

 “Is this castle yours too? It would be hard to find a more beautiful place than this!” “Come, if you don’t mind, let’s take a look inside.” The Marquis offered his hand to the beautiful princess and followed the king. The three of them entered a grand hall filled with a variety of dishes. That day was when the ogre had invited guests. The king was even more delighted with the Marquis de Carabas than with his infatuated daughter. “If you wish to become my son-in-law, Marquis,” said the king, “let it be known by your desire.” The young Marquis happily agreed, while the princess blushed with joy and embarrassment. Thus, the miller’s son married the princess, and the Cat became the most distinguished lord in the palace. Since then, he has rarely hunted mice, doing so only for amusement.

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