Everyone remembers the first time Puss in Boots walked onto the screen in Shrek 2. He was a gag. A tiny, swashbuckling cat with an impossibly deep voice and those big, manipulative eyes. But by the time Puss in Boots: The Last Wish rolled around in late 2022, the character had evolved into something much heavier. He wasn't just a meme anymore. He was a guy facing his own mortality, and standing right there next to him—usually outclassing him—was Kitty Softpaws.
Kitty isn't just a love interest. That’s a lazy way to look at her. Honestly, she’s the grounding force in a franchise that could easily fly off the rails into pure slapstick. When we talk about Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws, we’re talking about one of the most sophisticated "frenemy" arcs in modern animation. It's a relationship built on the fact that they are both, fundamentally, outlaws who don't trust anyone.
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The Dance of the Two Best Thieves in Spain
The chemistry between Puss and Kitty isn't just about sharp dialogue. It’s about movement. In the 2011 solo film, their "Dance Fight" in the Glittering Goldfish Cantina set the tone for everything that followed. You’ve got Puss, who is all bravado and ego, and Kitty, who is literal silence. She’s called "Softpaws" because she can pluck the ring off your finger without you feeling a breeze.
She’s better than him. She knows it. He suspects it.
In that first movie, Kitty Softpaws was voiced by Salma Hayek Pinault with a specific kind of world-weariness. She had her claws removed by her previous owners, a detail that is surprisingly dark for a DreamWorks movie. It gave her a reason to be guarded. While Puss was off chasing legends and trying to clear his name for the San Ricardo bank heist he didn't actually commit, Kitty was playing the long game. She was the one who saw through Humpty Dumpty’s nonsense before Puss did.
The dynamic is basically a classic noir trope wrapped in fur. You have the charismatic lead who thinks he's the protagonist of the world, and the femme fatale who is actually just a highly competent professional trying to survive. Their "romance" isn't built on bouquets of flowers; it's built on mutual respect for each other’s skills with a blade (or lack thereof).
What Happened at the Church in Santa Coloma?
For years, fans wondered why Puss and Kitty weren't together at the start of the sequel. The 2011 movie ended with a hint of a happy ending, but The Last Wish opens with Puss alone, dying his first of eight deaths and realizing he's on his final life.
Then we find out about Santa Coloma.
It’s the most "human" moment in the entire series. Puss stood Kitty up at the altar. He was too afraid to give up his legend, his "Puss in Boots" persona, to just be a cat with someone he loved. He chose the myth over the reality. When they reunite in the sequel, the air is thick with genuine resentment. It’s not "movie" anger; it's the kind of cold, sharp bitterness that comes from being let down by the one person you actually let in.
Kitty’s arc in the second film is arguably more compelling than Puss’s. While Puss is running from Death (literally, the Wolf is terrifying), Kitty is searching for someone she can actually trust. Her wish for the Wishing Star was simply to find someone "faithful." That’s heartbreaking. She’s surrounded by people, she’s a legendary thief, but she feels completely alone because she’s been declawed and discarded by the world.
The Animation Shift and Why it Matters
You might have noticed that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish looks nothing like the first one. It’s gorgeous. Taking a page out of the Spider-Verse playbook, the directors (Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado) moved away from the hyper-realistic fur textures of the 2010s toward a painterly, stylized look.
This shift benefited the characters immensely.
When Puss and Kitty fight now, the frame rate drops, making the action feel like a comic book. It emphasizes their agility. More importantly, it allows for more expressive facial acting. You can see the micro-expressions of guilt on Puss’s face and the guarded skepticism in Kitty’s eyes.
The inclusion of Perrito, the therapy dog who joins their group, acts as a catalyst for their reconciliation. Perrito is the antithesis of everything Puss and Kitty represent. He’s vulnerable, he’s honest, and he has zero ego. He forces them to stop "performing" their outlaw personas. There’s a scene where Puss has a panic attack—a genuinely shocking moment for a family film—and Kitty has to put aside her anger to help him. It shifts their relationship from a competition to a partnership.
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Breaking Down the "Last Wish" Climax
The final battle for the Wishing Star isn't really about who gets the wish. It’s about the realization that neither of them needs it anymore.
- Puss realizes his "legend" is meaningless if he doesn't have a life worth living with people he cares about.
- Kitty realizes she already found someone "faithful" (and someone who is trying to be better), even if he's a bit of a dummy.
- Jack Horner serves as the perfect foil—he's a villain who has everything and still wants more, whereas Puss and Kitty have nothing but each other and realize it’s enough.
The voice acting here carries so much weight. Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek have been working together since Desperado (1995), and that decades-long friendship translates into a shorthand between the characters. They interrupt each other. They finish each other’s sentences. They bicker like a couple that has been married for fifty years even though they only just reunited.
Why People Keep Coming Back to These Two
It’s rare for a sequel coming out eleven years later to be better than the original, but The Last Wish pulled it off by leaning into the vulnerability of its leads. We like Puss and Kitty because they are flawed. They’ve both messed up. Puss is an egomaniac who abandoned his bride; Kitty is a cynical loner who pushes people away before they can hurt her.
They reflect the messy reality of adult relationships, even if they happen to be talking orange and black cats.
The movie also handles the concept of "Team Friendship" without being cringey. By the end, they aren't just a duo; they are a found family. When they steal the Governor’s ship and head off toward Far Far Away to see "some old friends," it feels earned. It’s not just setting up Shrek 5; it’s a statement that these characters have finally found a place where they don't have to hide behind masks or myths.
How to Apply the "Team Friendship" Logic to Your Own Life
While you're probably not a legendary sword-fighting cat (if you are, call me), there are actually some solid takeaways from the Puss and Kitty dynamic regarding trust and partnership.
Stop performing and start being present.
Puss’s biggest mistake was thinking he had to be a "legend" at all times. In reality, Kitty liked the cat, not the hat. If you're constantly trying to maintain a "brand" or a certain image with your friends or partner, you’re never actually connecting.
Vulnerability isn't a weakness.
The turning point for Kitty trusting Puss again wasn't a grand heroic gesture. It was Puss admitting he was scared. When he stopped acting like he was invincible, she finally had a reason to let her guard down.
Accept that people change.
Kitty had every right to hate Puss forever after the Santa Coloma incident. But she watched his actions. She saw him bond with Perrito. She saw him face Death. Trust isn't a switch you flip; it’s something you rebuild brick by brick through consistent behavior.
If you want to dive deeper into the lore, go back and watch the 2011 film followed immediately by the sequel. The contrast in their relationship is night and day. You'll see how Kitty goes from a rival to a mirror, reflecting back the best and worst parts of Puss until he finally decides to be a cat worth her time.
Keep an eye out for the small details in the animation, like how Kitty's fighting style changes when she's working with Puss versus against him. They stop trying to occupy the same space and start covering each other's backs. That’s the real "wish" granted at the end of the story.
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Check out the official DreamWorks archives or the "Art of Puss in Boots" collections if you want to see the character design evolution. It’s wild how much thought went into making a cat in boots look like he’s actually lived nine lives. Now, go rewatch that forest chase scene—it’s still one of the best-directed sequences in the last decade of animation. No contest.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Rewatch with intent: Look for the specific moments where Kitty uses her "Softpaws" skills to help Puss without him noticing.
- Analyze the color palette: Notice how Kitty’s cool blues and blacks contrast with Puss’s warm oranges, symbolizing their initial emotional distance.
- Explore the "Team Friendship" merchandise: There are some surprisingly high-quality art prints from the 2022 film that highlight the new animation style.