Left to Right; Lucky, Frank, and Lee
Prince of Cats
is a slice of life webcomic about coming out in high school. It's set in Pike County, Pennsylvania, in the year 2003, and follows Lee, a boy who can incidentally talk to cats, through his senior year. It focuses on the changing relationship between Lee and his best friend, Frank, as well as the culture of survival mechanisms for sexual, racial, and class minorities in a conservative community. Lee is plagued by the telepathically communicating cats until he makes a wish, which he earned by saving the life of a kitten who turned out to be a cat princess.
This webcomic provides examples of:
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Lee is hoping to avert this, and is part of why he hasn't made his wish yet. Frank specifically warns him that selfish wishes usually don't turn out well.
- Childhood Friends: Lee and Frank met in second grade.
- Cats Are Mean: Multiple strips show cats choosing to lie on someone's face while they're sleeping, pouncing on a sleeper, or otherwise being annoying.Lee: It's always so surprising when they're actually nice to me.
- Cats Are Superior: "Outdoor" cats often talk down to Lee, baffled that humans manage to survive on their own.
- Definitely Just a Cold: Sam has a recurring cough, hinted to be related to his smoking. Actually, it's because he's been wearing his binder all the time and it's causing pneumonia. Frank's dad's headache, though, is almost certainly a warning sign ...
- Discriminate and Switch: Variation: Frank, in the school hallways, hears someone shout "Faggot!" He flinches instinctively, but it turns out to be two guys horsing around and shouting at each other.
- Incompatible Orientation: Poor Adi. Frank really likes her, but not that way. Everybody thinks he lied to spare her feelings, but it's actually the truth.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Owen may be self-centered, but he's more supportive of his friends than he's willing to admit.
- School Play: A production of Footloose starts in chapter 2 and continues into chapter 4. It's mostly in the background, though; it gives characters more chances to interact but it has little overall impact on the story.
- Settle for Sibling: Slight variation: Adi likes Frank, but Frank's gay. Adi eventually starts dating Frank's trans brother Sam.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Lee has the ability to talk to cats (but only cats) until he makes his wish.
