The Mythology

Aside from a higher than average amount of oddly subtropical climate-inducing magic in the air, which would seem to account for the concentrated local populace of catgirls, mermaids and fae (oh my), Catgirl Island is in most respects like any other contemporary Carolina coastal community. Fictionally part of the NC Outer Banks,this idyllic place enjoys 'green', state of the art municipal services harmoniously blended into mix-use suburb/
exurban residential districts noted for their historic 'carolina-polynesian' landscaping and architectural style.

In addition to it's homes, schools, office park and lifestyle centers, the island has protected state parkland and wetland wildlife refuge areas. In recent years the booming yet carefully managed tourism industry has been of substantial positive economic impact, with visitors enjoying the downtown riverwalk with its charming gardens, shopping & dining establishments, and the many cultural attractions such as art galleries, museums & festivals.

The island also attracts academia, with scholars & scientists from the UNC system exploring the many ancient ruins & shipwrecks, underground caverns & hot vents, and the championship golf courses that somehow seem to be much larger than their accountable acreage. It's a coastal sports paradise, with clear waters for reef diving that teem with abundant marine life, stretches of finely powdered sands, dunes for launching balloons & kites, bustling marina and fishing piers, and paved bike paths winding beneath the lush canopy of a maritime forest.

Visitors' lodging can range from beach-front rental houses, bed & breakfast cottages, and the traditional ryokan/ rotemburo Japanese style inns with hot springs. Primitive camping sites are also available amidst the dunes or within a short hike from the waterfalls cascading from the mountain lake. Thus is the fictional context where the multicultural/ species citizens of this mid-Atlantic isle welcome y'all with noted southern hospitality, whose proud county motto is "We're as groomed as groomed can be!"

Appurroximately 12.5 miles from it's Northern to Southern capes and 6 miles at its widest, Catgirl Island is fictionally located in Mew Hanover County, North Carolina, USA in the Atlantic Ocean, appurroximately 15 miles north-east of Wilmington and 10 miles north-east of Wrightsville Beach, at purrecisely 34˚18' 17.39 North by 77˚ 28'50.49 West. It is accessible from the mainland by ferry or by purrivate boats, with slips available at the marina.

The Reality

The The purre-purrduction phase of the site began in 1998 as Mike Moon started to ponder a website to showcase his artistry, with catgirls as 'tour guides' to hopefully give the site an aMEWsing. memorable quality; it evolved into an imaginary place on the internet named Catgirl Island. The theme of the site, designed to be an island populated by catgirls and other fantasy characters off the North Carolina coast was intended to be a hopefully pleasantly memorable, PG rated experience whist showcasing Mike's professional creativity & illustrative work.

Catgirl Island went online in early 2000 then under the URL of www.catgirlisland.com, featuring Mike's artwork, photography, stories, and contributions from guest artist friends. Just a couple of years later the site shut down for indefinite hiatus as Mike dealt with other matters in life. Mike's failure to renew the domain name allowed an unknown other, unaffiliated party to claim that URL. Many a friend and client would often say how they missed this little 'oasis' on the internet and hoped it might restart someday. Plus, the catgirls were starting to get bored.

A few years later, in the Spring of 2007 the original, official Catgirl Island finally returned with a slightly new look and a slightly different address, here at www.catgirlisland.net, courtesy of Mike and his friend/ site co-designer Jamie Robertson, and of course, with the cheery assistance of Mike's artistic 'mewses', the catgirls. In May of 2007 the sister site of The Mew: The Catgirl Critics’ Media Mewsings was launched, to feature intermews with special guests, and reviews of books, comics, games, toys, cinema & TV, visual & purrforming art. In early 2011 we were pleased to re-gain the older URL of catgirlisland.com, which now serves as an identical 'mirror site' to catgirlisland.net!