Animal

An organism that is scientifically defined as one that is capable of moving itself, reproducing with others of its species, and often some level of thought. When people say "animals", they often exclude humans although they are also in the animal kingdom. Animals can play a significant role in fiction, let it be in whole franchises surrounding them and only them or shorter stories like episodes of a TV show. Depending on the context of a story, animals as a whole, a select group of species, or only one species can be the main focus. Each species has its own typical portrayal in fiction, especially when Animals Actually Are People Too.

Different roles have different opinions on animals. Most are naturally neutral towards them while some exist solely because of their relationship with them. The Animal Lover, for one, is a role who can go to great extents to watch over and protect animals they encounter. More extreme instances of the role may grow hostile towards those who fail to treat animals with respect, namely the Animal Hater, a role who casually neglects, abuses, or kills animals. Animal Haters make most of their appearances in the Save the Animals plot where they are Petty Evil antagonists of the story that the Main Cast must fight in order to protect the endangered animals.

Cat
Cats are four-legged mammalians who are common pets owned by humans. They're one of the two most popular choices for a pet, with the other being the dog. Cats and dogs are common rivals in fiction, which spawned the Dog v Cat UnTrash. Cats are one of the lazier common animals in fictions as they can normally be seen statically lying down somewhere or completely asleep. They are typical predators of mice, rats, birds, and fish, which can prove to be troublesome for animals less able to escape a cat's attack in time. Cats are said to have nine lives and to always land on their paws because of how gracefully they move. These sayings may actually apply in certain franchises. A cat's favorite activities include batting at strings or balls of yarn, clawing up furniture into useless bits, and climbing and subsequently getting stuck in trees.

Dog
Dogs are four-legged land mammals that humans hold as one of two popular options for a pet, the other being the cat. Because of this, dogs and cats are often portrayed as enemies. The typical behaviors of dogs consist of chasing mailmen, chasing their own tails, chasing cars, chasing squirrels, sniffing other dogs, digging holes in backyards, humping anything, giving people they like their idea of a Big Kiss, and using aptly-named puppy eyes to emotionally manipulate others. Dogs can be found chewing on bones and sticks, as well as shoes, furniture, and anything else their owners would miss if it ever so happened to get caught in a canine's jaws if their dog hasn't been trained properly. This is a more recurrent issue in the Misbehaving Pet plot.

Human
Humans are the only common two-legged mammal in fiction. In stories where they are not the central species, they typically take up one of a few collective roles. One of these roles is being the greedy, expansionist destroyer of animal homes who will ruthlessly bulldoze habitats into the ground for malls, parking lots, amusement parks, or whatever other structure they wish to build to grow their empire.

Fox
Foxes are rare four-legged canines who can be found in forests. They are depicted as clever creatures who are masters of trickery, which is why many of them may take up the role of Deceiver.

Mouse
Mice are slightly uncommon four-legged rodents. Known to be a pest to humans in fiction and real life, they live in holes in the walls of humans' homes as they occasionally emerge to hunt for cheese. Mice are typical prey for cats, especially house cats that humans might keep around to catch and kill any intruding mice.