Once upon a time, there was a poor miller who had three sons. When the miller died, he left his few possessions to his children. The oldest son received the mill, the middle son got the donkey, and the youngest son inherited only a cat.
The youngest son was very sad. "What can I do with just a cat?" he wondered. "My brothers can make a living with their mill and donkey, but all I have is this cat."
But this was no ordinary cat! The clever cat heard his master's worries and spoke up. "Don't be sad, master," said the cat. "Just get me a pair of boots and a bag, and I will help you become rich."
The young man was amazed that his cat could talk, but he got the boots and bag anyway. The cat put on the boots and became known as Puss in Boots.
Puss in Boots had a brilliant plan. He caught rabbits and birds in his bag and brought them as gifts to the king. Each time, he told the king that the gifts came from his master, the "Marquis of Carabas" (which was just a fancy name he made up).
The king was impressed by these wonderful gifts and wanted to meet this generous marquis. Puss told his master to go swimming in the river. When the king's carriage passed by, Puss cried out, "Help! My master, the Marquis of Carabas, is drowning!"
The king rescued the young man and gave him fine clothes to wear. The princess thought he was very handsome. Puss in Boots then led them to a beautiful castle that belonged to a mean ogre.
Puss tricked the ogre by challenging him to turn into different animals. When the ogre turned into a mouse, clever Puss caught him and ate him up! Now the castle belonged to his master.
The king was so impressed that he let the young man marry the princess. Thanks to his clever cat, the poor miller's son became a rich prince and lived happily ever after. And Puss in Boots became the most famous cat in the whole kingdom.