This is a guest post by Red Vinyl Kitty. You can read about her life as a slave kitty at Sub Mission.

I was approached by LunaKM a few months ago to write a guest post for her blog.  I do not usually do guest posts, but she wanted me to write one about my new favorite hobby: bootblacking, and so I was excited to share with you all what drew me to bootblacking, and what keeps me interested in it.

I was first introduced to bootblacking through Master, of course.  The only information Master had about bootblacking was from his Dad, actually, who had showed him how to clean his boots when he was younger.  Actually, Master just had a small bag under the kitchen sink with some Dubbins, a filthy rag he used over and over for years, and some all-purpose “leather cleaner”.  At the time, I figured this was a pretty decent collection, though now I definitely shudder to think that is what he was using.  Of course, I really don’t have as much knowledge under my belt as a “real” Bootblack, but my new bootblack kit overflow-eth with better supplies.

Master showed me how to rub a small amount of the cleaner all over his boots with the filthy rag, and then he showed me how to rub the Dubbins in.  I admit his boots always looked better after the “polish” than before, so I never questioned him.  I would really only do this for him for special occasions anyway, so it wasn't a huge issue for us.  It wasn't until recently that Master and me had the opportunity to go to a class on Bootblacking and I felt a little spark that has kept me curious, learning, and of course, covered in polish.

The class we went to was not an in-depth class.  It was a great class for someone like me, who had no boot-blacking experience at all.  I got to touch and smell polish, leather conditioners, and more.  I got to watch someone get their boots blacked and I even got a paper on the presentation to take home, which I like to keep on the table by me while I polish, to be sure I’m not missing any steps.  I am absolutely still a greenhorn when it comes to bootblacking  but it affords me the ability to take care of Master in a new and wonderful way, and I adore it.

Before going to the class, I had never once thought about the possibility of blacking someone’s boots while they were wearing them!  I had always sat on the floor with my filthy rag, and scarce supplies and done my own thing.  Blacking someone’s boots while they are wearing them has added in a whole dimension to the blacking process for me (and Master, too)!  It has allowed us another type of closeness, though I admit I am not the speediest bootblack and it’s difficult for me to kneel for so long in odd angles right now.  Master and me practice about once per week when we can so that I can build up strength. We would love it to be a less exhaustive process for me, eventually.  Not that we’re in a rush.

Sometimes it isn't possible for Master to be in the boots while I am polishing them.  Sometimes he has to work, or he is otherwise occupied and it is still up to me to be sure his boots are shiny and ready to go.  Those are the times when I gather up my supplies and I make myself a little bootblack station on the floor (with garbage bag drop cloth so I am careful not to stain the carpet!), and set to work.  While both ways seem to get me to subspace, I have found that I seem to enter subspace much more quickly when I am actually off on my own working on polishing Master’s boots.  For me, as I’m still new, I find that when I work on the boots while he wears them, I am far too caught up in the order of things, and what I may or may not have forgotten to really relax enough to his subspace.  Not that subspace is the purpose of blacking for me, but I enjoy any activity which gets me to this calm, wonderful place.

The thing for me which is so very wonderful about polishing Master’s shoes is that it is something that I can do on my own to show Master how much I am thinking about him.  My focus is always on what I can do in order to make Master’s life better.  Does he need polished and well cared for shoes and boots?  I suppose most people will say “no.”  If you saw the smile on his face when he came home to another pair of freshly shined shoes, or if you saw the extra bounce that makes its way into his step while he is wearing them – you might think it was a “yes,” too.

There are times when Master has to leave me at home for a while, and I don’t get to see him as much as I’d like (generally because of work), and having a task so centered around Master’s day to day life is wonderful.  He even told me once, that someone complimented him at work on how nice his shoes were looking.  Let me tell you that really perked me up.

I really am so very glad that I've discovered this wonderful art.  I would love to get really good at it, and go to even more classes.  Master has been on the lookout for even more bootblacking classes.  I still haven’t attended any others yet, but it is something that we’d both love for me to do.  This has been an amazing experience in the past six months or so that I've been practicing.  It is one of those things in which there is always a lot more for me to learn, and I look forward to being able to show Master just how much I love serving him in this way.

Red Vinyl Kitty is a 24/7 slave in a TPE with her Master, Master Pravus.  They are polyamarous, and have been together for nearly ten years.  Red Vinyl Kitty enjoys serving her Master, playing with others, sewing, video games, and running her Mewtique.