The Katbox

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The Katbox
Kemono-Cafe-Katbox-Inn.jpg
Author(s) Owner: ID
Founder: SoulKat
Webmaster: Mihari
Website
Status Defunct
Launch date September 2004
End date December 2019
Genre Web hosting
Rating(s)
Censor 14 button.png
(General access)

Censor MA button.png
(Restricted materials)

The Katbox was a website that hosted furry webcomics. It once had a World of Warcraft guild and a Steam group, both named Bought the Farm. The site's home page was a portal to various comics, 26 at its latest -- not counting "bonus comics," which were set in the worlds of the main comics and tell stories that would otherwise remain unseen in the main narrative. The web address now redirects to Kemono Café, one of two sites that took over hosting many of the webcomics from The Katbox.[3] It is now represented on that site as the 'KatBox Inn'.[4]

History[edit]

Early years: 2004 - 2009[edit]

The Katbox was founded by SoulKat, co-author of the site's first comic Las Lindas, which went online in September of 2004. It was joined in May 2005 by Nekonny's Caribbean Blue[5]. A year later, the first page of Avencri's The Eye of Ramalach was posted in January, with regular updates beginning in March[6].

The total number of Katbox comics remained at three for the next several years. A fourth comic, Things Will Be Different, joined in November 2008 but was officially cancelled in January 2009 because the artist had lost interest. In October of that year, Running Wild, created by Jesonite ("Jeso") joined[7], but was canceled in February 2010. Katbox forumites referred to the "curse of the fourth comic."[8]

Rapid influx: 2010 - 2012[edit]

In January 2010, Eye of Ramalach author Avencri began work on a second comic, Tina of the South, which was updated by donation. At the time of launch, it was treated as a "bonus comic" in site formatting, as Las Lindas had a number of bonus comics which were also updated by donation. However, unlike the Las Lindas bonus comics, Tina of the South told an independent story, and future site updates showed it as a top-level comic on the site's portal page.

On April 1, 2010, as part of a tradition of sitewide April Fools Day pranks, the number of Katbox comics abruptly jumped to 14.[9] For the 11 new comics, each had one page posted, usually by different people (two, iMew and 88mm Neko, were drawn by Nekonny, author of Caribbean Blue). Over the course of April 1, most of the new comics were abruptly cancelled, with site staff feigning surprise. Two of the comics actually became established, however: iMew began donation-based updates in May, and Anthronauts began weekly updates in June.

Like Tina of the South, iMew was an independent creation of an existing artist, and was also treated as a bonus comic before receiving its own portal-page icon. When iMew concluded its run in September 2013, it was the first Katbox comic reach an official end.

Following the April 1 prank, the site homepage was restructured to reflect the new comics. With the addition of Anthronauts and iMew, and the recognition of Tina of the South as an independent comic, the site comic count jumped to six.

Changes: 2013 - present[edit]

In early 2013, Nixie began a second comic, Fungus Farm, which ran until June and was interactive. Anthronauts was rebooted at this point as well, and relaunched in July. The original version of the series remains archived as Anthronauts: Alternate Reality.

On February 17, 2014, two more comics joined The Katbox, UberQuest and Our World. Upgrades to the overall website also began.

On September 6, 2014, SoulKat announced on the site forum that Swashbuckled was being dismissed from the site because Mastergodai, the primary artist, was no longer interested in working on the project[10]. On November 9, 2014, Nekonny and Mihari completed Caribbean Blue, which had run for nine years and 326 pages[11]. It was the second Katbox comic to be completed, following iMew.

The site's policy for NSFW content was revised in the fall, separating the site's general PG-13 atmosphere apart from more mature material[12].

Ownership of The Katbox was transferred to ID in 2014.[2]

More comics joined The Katbox in 2015 and 2016, including Peter & Company, Desert Fox, Itsy Bitsy Adventures, False Start and Mousechievous. Nekonny also began two new webcomics during this time, Paprika and Practice Makes Perfect. Nixie started another webcomic as well, called Debunkers.[13]

On June 8, 2017, the webcomic Oasis joined The Katbox.[14]

On June 24, 2018, Kuurion announced on the site forum that the webcomic Our World has officially been retired.[15]

On September 30, 2018, the webcomic Eorah joined The Katbox.[16]

On November 16, 2018, the webcomic Truck Off: The Treasure of the Horde joined The Katbox.[17]

The Katbox began undergoing site upgrades in early 2019. Some of the webcomic pages were mirrored to the old Katbox After Dark site so people can still view them. As of mid-2019, the majority of the upgrades have been finished.[18]

On May 15, 2019, ID announced on the site forum that the Katbox Forums will be permanently closing down in June due to a decrease in activity as many people are now in contact with each other through social media.[19]

2016 malware complications and website reconstruction[edit]

In the latter part of 2016, The Katbox experienced a virus which installed mail scripts and sent spam messages across the internet as well as generating numerous error logs which caused significant problems. It was also blocking legitimate e-mails from the website. An investigation found that this was apparently a local issue and it was not affecting computers of any site visitors. After unsuccessful attempts at cleanup and the web server being unable to help, the staff decided to erase the website and rebuild from scratch although many pages were already backed up.[18]

All active webcomics have been re-posted online as of late July 2017.[20]

Katbox After Dark[edit]

On August 5, 2017, ID announced on the site forum that a new adult section of The Katbox called "Katbox After Dark" has been created.[21][20] The first webcomic to be added to Katbox After Dark, False Start by Bone, took place in early August 2017.[22] A second webcomic, The Sprawl by Snowdon, was added on September 28, 2017.[23] Four days later, the webseries of Olivia by Kadath was added.[24] Katbox After Dark continued until overall website upgrades began in 2019.

The former Katbox After Dark section hosted some of the webcomics through mid-2019 while the main sections were undergoing upgrades.

The most recent Katbox logo before its closure in 2019.

Website closure[edit]

On July 20, 2019, ID announced on the front page and Patreon site that The Katbox will no longer be hosting webcomics. Over the next few months, the hosted webcomics would be transferred over to other webhosts if a co-host site isn't already running. The front page for The Katbox temporarily remained as a hub for directing viewers to those webcomics the website once hosted.[18][25] ID thanked everyone for their longtime support to The Katbox. Those who wish to continue their support for the webcomic artists may do so through their respective Patreon sites.[25]

There are two web portals recently created that will now host a number of webcomics previously hosted by The Katbox...Kemono Café and Studio Khimera.[3][26] As of 2020, the main web address for The Katbox redirects to Kemono Café.

Webcomics hosted[edit]

Title Run dates Author(s) Updates Current host Format Notes
Addictive Science April 2009 - present Artist and writer: Cervelet Daily Kemono Café Black and white
Anaria August 2014 - December 2017; on The Katbox from August 2016 - December 2016 Artist and writer: Leah Briere Irregularly Dreamy Star Comics (archived) Color Dismissed from The Katbox in December 2016. The webcomic is currently inactive.
Anthronauts April 2010 - June 2013; Reboot July 2013 - April 2016 Artist and writer: Nixie Weekly (Mondays) Webtoon Color Originally part of an April Fools prank. The webcomic is currently inactive, but was restarted from its beginning in late 2019 until April 2020.
Artificial Incident April 2016 - present Artist and writer: Philip Brown Weekly (Wednesdays) Independently hosted B&W/Color
Breasts are the Best 2010 - March 2016 Artist: Chalo, writers: SoulKat and ID Irregularly None Color Cancelled.
Building an Empire 2007 - February 2012 Artist: Chalo, writers: SoulKat and ID Irregularly None Color Cancelled.
Caribbean Blue May 2005 - November 2014 Artist and writer: Nekonny, writer: Mihari Weekly Kemono Café B&W/Color Finished run. Some guest comics in black and white.
Chitsu Anddo Asu February 2014 - present Artist and writers: Mastergodai, UStudios, former writer: ID Irregularly None Color
Crest Diaries 2007 - October 2012 Artist: Chalo, writers: SoulKat and ID Irregularly None Color Cancelled.
Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures 1999 - present; on The Katbox since September 2013 Artist and writer: Amber Williams Weekly (Wednesdays) Independently hosted B&W/Color
Debunkers September 2016 - present Artist and writer: Nixie Irregularly DeviantArt (webcomic and story posts) B&W/Color
Desert Fox February 2016 - present Artist and writer: SageStrike2, Co-writer MoonlitCaitlyn Irregularly Independently hosted Color
The Draconia Chronicles January 2005 - present; on The Katbox since January 2011 Artist and writer RazorFox. Former staff: Donnie Sturges (writer-in-chief), Jen Starling (Photoshop), and Jason Cumberledge (lettering)[27] Monthly Independently hosted B&W/Color Originally hosted independently at 2wconline.net
Dungeons & Dames 2009 - December 2011; Reboot October 2013 - November 2015 Artist: Chalo, writers: SoulKat and ID Irregularly None Color Cancelled.
Eorah June 2013 - present; on the Katbox since September 2018 Artist and writer: Hiorou Monthly Fur Affinity Color
The Eye of Ramalach January 2006 - present Artist and writer: Avencri. Former writers: ID, G3off Bimonthly Kemono Café Color
False Start 2012 - present; on The Katbox since March 2016 Artist and writer: Bone Irregularly TBA Color Originally published independently. Moved to Katbox After Dark in August 2017.
Fungus Farm February 2013 - June 2013 Artist and writer: Nixie Irregularly None B&W/Color Cancelled. Story was reader-interactive.
iMew April 2010 - August 2013 Artist: Nekonny, writer: Curran Irregularly Kemono Café Black and white Finished run. Updates were by donation.
Itsy Bitsy Adventures December 2012 - present; on The Katbox since January 2016 Artist and writer: SilverBlaze Weekly (Fridays) Ringtail Café Productions Black and white Originally published independently.
Knighthood June 2008 - present Artist: Chalo, writer: Curran Irregularly Kemono Café Color
Knuckle Up April 2012 - present Writer and illustrator: Mastergodai, soft brushed: UStudios Weekly Kemono Café Color
Las Lindas September 2004 - present Artist: Chalo, writer: SoulKat, former writer: ID, side comic writer: Curran. Weekly (Wednesdays) Kemono Café Color
Learning Curves 2007 - August 2016 Artist: Chalo, writers: SoulKat, Curran and ID Irregularly None Color Cancelled.
Mousechievous May 2015 - August 2016; Reboot March 2019 - present Artist and writers: Skidd, Phuufy, former writer: Xivk Irregularly Studio Khimera B&W/Color
Oasis February 2016 - December 2019; on The Katbox since June 2017 Artist and writer: Sahtori-Kamaya Irregularly None Color The webcomic is currently inactive.
Olivia July 2014 - present; on The Katbox since October 2017 Artist and writer: Kadath Irregularly Fur Affinity Color Part of Katbox After Dark.
Our World December 2010 - January 2018; on The Katbox since February 2014 Artist: Kuurion, writer: Captain Video Biweekly (Tuesdays and Fridays) None Black and white Originally published independently. Officially retired on June 24, 2018.
Paprika March 2015 - present Artist and writer: Nekonny Irregularly Kemono Café Black and white A remake of an earlier comic called Tina OnLine, with a continuity to unfold on either side of Caribbean Blue.
Peter & Company January 2005 - present; on The Katbox since March 2015 Artist and writer: Jon Ponikvar Monthly Independently hosted B&W/Color
Peter & Whitney May 2016 - present Artist and writers: Jon Ponikvar, Whitney Ponikvar Monthly Independently hosted Color
Practice Makes Perfect February 2016 - present Artist and writer: Nekonny Irregularly Kemono Café and Ringtail Café Productions Color
Project Zero October 2012 - present Writer and illustrator: Mastergodai, soft brushed: UStudios Irregularly Petite Symphony (archived) Color
Rascals September 2009 - present; on The Katbox since August 2012 Writer and illustrator: Mastergodai, soft brushed: UStudios Weekly (Fridays) Kemono Café Color
Rascals Goyoku December 2011 - present Writer and illustrator: Mastergodai, soft brushed: UStudios Irregularly Petite Symphony (archived) Color
Running Wild October 2009 - February 2010 Artist and writer: Jeso Weekly (Fridays) None Color Cancelled.
The Sprawl January 2014 - present; on The Katbox since September 2017 Artist and writer: Snowdon Weekly (Wednesdays) Independently hosted Color Part of Katbox After Dark.
Swashbuckled August 2012 - September 2014; on The Katbox from February 2013 - September 2014 Mastergodai, KingofKOF, RubyLuvCow Irregularly None B&W/Color Originally posted on Fur Affinity starting in May 2012[28]. Dismissed from the Katbox in September 2014.
Things Will Be Different November 2008 - January 2009 Artist: Spazzy Koneko, writer: KingofKOF Weekly (Saturdays) None Color Cancelled.
Tina of the South January 2010 - present Artist: Avencri, writer: G3off Irregularly Kemono Café Black and white Published by donation.
Tora Tora Tokyo March 2015 - December 2015 Artist: Nekonny, writer: SoulKat Weekly MediBang Black and white This comic was posted on The Katbox Forums. Finished run, 20 pages.
Truck Off: The Treasure of the Horde November 2018 - July 2020 Artist and writer: FOX-POP Weekly Fur Affinity Color The webcomic is currently inactive.
UberQuest February 2014 - present Artist and writers: Skidd, Phuufy Irregularly Studio Khimera Color
Ventura City Drifters June 2020 - present Artist and writer: Sonokido Weekly Webtoon Color
Yosh! November 2003 - present; on The Katbox since February 2012 Writer and artist: Philip Brown, Co-writer: Alex Petersen Monday and Friday Independently hosted B&W/Color Originally published independently.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. The Katbox Forums - Staff Members, Retrieved Apr. 12, 2017.
  2. 2.0 2.1 The Katbox Forums - Meet the Staff, Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Kemono Café, Retrieved Feb. 23, 2020.
  4. Patreon, The Katbox Inn, Retrieved Feb. 23, 2020.
  5. Dated archive for "Caribbean Blue"
  6. Dated archive for "The Eye of Ramalach"
  7. FA journal post regarding start of comic
  8. Katbox Forum topic regarding the cancellation of Running Wild
  9. April Fools 2010 thread
  10. "Swashbuckled will be removed tomorrow at 12:00PM PST."
  11. Caribbean Blue archive.
  12. "Katbox Revised NSFW Policy"
  13. Debunkers, Retrieved Jun. 25, 2017.
  14. The Katbox - Oasis, Retrieved Jun. 8, 2017.
  15. The Katbox Community Forums - Our World - Officially Retired, June 24, 2018, Retrieved Jun. 28, 2018.
  16. The Katbox - Eorah, Retrieved Oct. 7, 2018.
  17. The Katbox - Truck Off, Retrieved Nov. 30, 2018.
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 [1], Retrieved Apr. 13, 2017.
  19. The Katbox Forums - Forums Closing Down, May 15, 2019, Retrieved Jun. 4, 2019.
  20. 20.0 20.1 The Katbox Forums - Katbox Updates, Retrieved Aug. 15, 2017.
  21. Katbox After Dark, Retrieved Aug. 15, 2017.
  22. False Start, Retrieved Aug. 15, 2017.
  23. The Sprawl, Retrieved Sep. 30, 2017.
  24. Olivia, Retrieved Oct. 3, 2017.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Patreon, The Katbox, The Hard Update, July 20, 2019, Retrieved Jul. 21, 2019.
  26. Studio Khimera, Retrieved Sep. 7, 2019.
  27. Forum thread: Roles of Sturges and Starling
  28. Swashbuckled's FurAffinity page

External links[edit]


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The Katbox
Current Comics
Kemono-Cafe-Katbox-Inn.jpg
Completed Comics
Defunct/Dismissed Comics