I've been running around for ten years killing gods and other enormous monsters with a knife. Gods. Not critters. Gods. Not average adventurers. Gods. I've killed dream lords, fire gods, giant bugs, dragons, FFS I've killed pure light elements. I have an idiot friend who appears out of thin air when I put on an certain earring. I can summon a giant toad from thin air and ride it just by using magic. I can raise people from the dead. I can walk through walls, transcend the heavens, speak to celestial beings, conjure magical beasts to do my bidding, talk to animals, make things out of crystals...

But yeah. I think you're right. A male cat guy thingy would totally ruin the integrity of the game and just make it seem fake.