When Georgia Lee Dvorak of Berwyn died, she left behind her 11-year-old cat, “Boots.” (Credit: Georgia Lee Dvorak estate)

CHICAGO (CBS) — You’ve heard curiosity killed the cat. In this case, curiosity actually saved one.

As CBS 2’s Jim Williams reports, Boots was about to be put down, but an alert bank official worked to block the execution, going against the wishes of Boots’ late owner.

Boots is a friendly cat and doesn’t at all mind being held by a stranger.

“She’s lovable, playful. Though she’s 11 years old, she doesn’t act like it,” said Sandra Buturusis, the cat’s neighbor in the western suburbs.

It’s hard to believe someone wanted this perfectly healthy cat euthanized. Even harder to believe it was Boots’ owner, Georgia Lee Dvorak.

“She had a really big heart,” Buturusis. “She loved animals.”

In fact, Dvorak so loved animals, that when she died last December she left all of her $1.3 million estate to animal charities. So why put in her will that she wanted her beloved Boots euthanized, especially after she rescued the cat from an abusive home?

“She was so afraid that if something happened to her that the cat would not be taken care of and she’d go to another abusive home,” Buturusis said.

The executor of the will, Fifth Third Bank, went to court, to ask a judge to actually block Ms. Dvorak’s request.

“We brought a petition asking that the language be set aside or stricken,” said bank senior president Jeffrey Schmidt. “We didn’t want to euthanize this healthy, living animal.”

The judge agreed, and Wednesday, Fifth Third arranged for Boots to be taken to a loving home with a history of caring for cats.

“I guess you could say this time curiosity saved the cat,” said Schmidt. “We’re very happy for that.”

Bank officials also donated cat supplies and food to Boots’ new home, a cage-free sanctuary in Andersonville.

Schmidt recommends pet owners set up a separate trust for their care.

Dvorak had no family members and her neighbors are allergic to cats.