what animal is hello kitty

Hello Kitty is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. She is anthropomorphized as a white cat with a red bow and no visible mouth. However, according to Hello Kitty scholar Christine R. Yano, Hello Kitty is not a cat, but a cartoon character and a little girl who is a friend. She is never depicted on all fours and walks and sits like a two-legged creature. Sanrio has issued a statement to Kotaku in an attempt to clarify what Hello Kitty actually is, stating that "Hello Kitty is a personification of a cat". Therefore, Hello Kitty is not an animal, but a fictional character that is anthropomorphized as a cat.