The Librarian writes...
Ah, this question is perfect for me.
There are many different kinds of people. Beastpeople, anthros, taurs, spirits... Frankly, if you can think of it, it exists. While humans are the most common, the world is full of non-humans too. And your definition of normal animals, of course. The catgirl you speak of was from the forest, unrelated to the Well Incident. You'll see more like her soon~
To answer your second question, yes, they do. Anyone can be whatever they desire.
It's a very good world to live in, fufufu~