A first-of-its kind, unprecedented court case in Illinois has allowed this little guy to stay alive!

Georgia Lee Dvorak died suddenly last Christmas Eve at  the age of 76 and in her will written in 1988 she had included the instruction to euthanize any cats she possessed when she died.

As it turned out, just 18 months ago she had adopted a  black cat named Boots who, despite her 11 years, remains in good health.

“We read the will, we took a look at it, and we were a bit shocked, said Jeff Schmidt, the Director of Personal Trust for the bank. “We’re speculating as to why she would have that in her will. It’s kind of ironic given the ultimate disposition of her estate.”

Georgia had included donations to numerous charities, many of them involving the care of animals in her will. “She had a big heart and was a very intelligent lady,” said neighbor Sandra Buturusis. Boots was a stray cat with a troubled past.  Boots’ prior owners reportedly threw her down stairs and kept her in a locked closet for days at a time with no food, water or litter box. Buturusis speculated that Dvorak would want Boots put down rather than be adopted by another abusive owner. But, she added, she would also have wanted the animal placed in a “suitable home” rather than euthanized.

The bank and attorneys from Spain, Spain & Varnet felt uncomfortable putting down a perfectly healthy cat and this week convinced a Cook County judge to spare Boots’ life.

“Given this woman’s history over the last 20 years, it seems that if we could demonstrate to her that a good home could be found for this animal, that’s probably what she wanted. This document is very old. It’s a 1988 will, and we think we did the right thing, and the judge did the right thing, definitely,” said Schmidt.

Boots continues to get daily care and will soon be taken in by Cats-Are-Purrsons-Too, a no-kill shelter in Chicago.