Sophia started out as a character for a Shadowrun 4e game, but now she's developed into the protagonist for a novel I'm writing. This is a sample $5 print I made of her, and while she's mostly human, she can exhibit some animal qualities just ad well.
Like a cat, she can swing from being playful and timid to fierce and determined. Like a human, she can be resourceful and intuitive to flighty and stubborn.

I've been told characters with a full range of emotion are a good start to writing.