Yano (Anthropologist from the University of Hawaii) was preparing information for a Hello Kitty exhibit. Yano told the LA Times that the manufacturers contacted her to say “Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. ... She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it's called Charmmy Kitty.”

Is Dear Daniel a cat?

Dear Daniel (ディアダニエル, Dia Danieru), also known by his full name Daniel Starr (ダニエル・スター, Danieru Sutā), is a Japanese male bobtail cat just like Hello Kitty herself, Daniel is a cat based character from the Japanese company Sanrio. He is Hello Kitty's childhood friend and also her boyfriend.

Is Hello Kitty a mouse?

Despite headlines to the contrary, Sanrio has confirmed that Hello Kitty is indeed a cat. I repeat: Hello Kitty is a cat. The confusion stemmed from an interview with Christine R. Yano, the curator of the Japanese American National Museum's retrospective on the beloved cat.