There are several notes in my inbox on the much overlooked theory that Anya is a cat... In my view, it is a very important lens through which to analyze Spy x Family and worth digging a bit more into. There are three 'school of thought's on this - 1) that Anya is like a cat, 2) that Anya is some sort of human-cat hybrid, or 3) that Anya is actually a real cat, adopted by Twilight who may or may not be hallucinating the whole thing. Let's tackle these one by one!
Anya's little 'horn' makes her look like a kitten. But while Anya superficially resembles a cat, there's very little canon evidence for this interpretation. I'm all for people HC-ing what they want, but we all know Spy x Family is deep, and 'Anya looks like a cat' just seems like a far-fetched tin-foil theory.
Anya is some sort of human-cat hybrid
Endo has been dropping hints here and there that Anya is not what she seems. The most prominent piece of evidence that Anya may be a human-cat hybrid is something in plain sight - Mr Chimera.
Since the first chapter - and actually, even more so in the anime - Mr Chimera has been closely associated with Anya. She carries her stuffy with her everywhere, it's a toy she's had since before becoming a Forger. And more interestingly, Anya and Mr Chimera's character designs echo each other - the pinks, the greens, the little 'horns'. Chimera is Anya, Anya is Chimera...
As I've noted before, the Chimera is a mythological creature traditionally depicted as having a lion's head, a second head that's goat, and a tail that's a snake. Sure, maybe this is supposed to be some metaphor for the Forgers themselves - a mash of different personalities and secrets that should not work together, but somehow does. But I think that's a stretch. More likely, this is Endo telling us that Anya herself is a chimera - a hybrid creature of some sort.
Adding weight to this theory is that we know from the Doggy Crisis when Bond joins the family that Anya is terrible at naming things. And yet... she knows to call her stuffed toy 'chimera'? Where did she learn the word? Most likely, Anya knows 'chimera' because it's a word she's picked from from the scientists who experimented on her. And why would they use that word around her? Simple - it is because she is a human-cat hybrid.
It also gives a new interpretation to those very cryptic panels where Twilight wonders briefly whether Anya might have learnt Classical Language 'due to her upbringing'. We all know that the Spy has most likely traveled to many countries - or at least knows about many foreign countries, because he's Super Smart - in his career. Does he know a country full of human-cat hybrids where everyone has pink hair? And is this place Atlantis? Is this why no one speaks the language anymore? Because all the humans who look like cats have been swept under the sea? ... I'd say very likely, as it fits into one of the important themes of Spy x Famliy - losing one's home, having one's family be torn away from one, and the loneliness that comes with that feeling of being unmoored by violence. For Twilight, the culprit was war which stripped him of his mother and innocence. For Anya, it's a big tidal wave sundering her from other fellow cat-human hybrids.
Anya is actually a real cat
The strongest theory I believe is that Anya is actually a real cat, and that the whole of Spy x Family is the hallucination of a man who's finally lost it.
The most important clue is Anya's name. As we know, in Japanese, instead of making 'meow' sounds, cats are known to go 'nya'. Which recontextualizes the conversation Twilight has with his 'daughter' at the steps of their new home. He tells her 'now, listen, little girl...' And she quickly replies with 'Anya'. While as Twilight might have thought she was telling him her name, in reality, this is just his newly adopted cat meowing at him. But she is obviously a smart cat. She is meowing because she wants to correct Twilight - she is not a little girl, she is a cat.
Endo also slyly depicts Anya's true nature - but you either see it, or you don't, and once you see it, you can't unsee it. In some ways, this is like the way he's treated the narrative in Spy x Family - the horrifying politics and potential going-ons hide in plain sight; hints of the War and what all these adults have seen and done are revealed drop by drop. All of these details are easy to ignore because Anya the cat is so adorable, but the hints are there. The proof that Anya is a cat is as clear as day.
I've pointed out before how Anya's behavior is basically that of a cat. She hisses, she goes berserk when one tries to move her anywhere, she's picky about her food, she's absolutely uncontrollable, and out of nowhere she asks for coddles. Anya's infamous shit-eating grin? It is clearly a homage to the Cheshire Cat - totally a real cat - and its devilish smile.
We're also shown throughout the series that Anya is very good at hiding in unusual and tight spaces. There's absolutely no way a 4 year old girl can slip into those spaces. But a cat? Definitely.
But importantly, how the humans around Anya interact with her also point to her being a kitten. Apart from all the head pats Anya gets from everyone, we also have this. Twilight is obviously strong, but when we see him lift her up in the first chapter/episode, it makes a lot more sense that he's lifting his cat. And similarly, the way Yor is seen holding Anya here - she is a cat.
Moreover, Anya is an indoor cat, because Endo is just great at adding these little details. We see how she is never taken out of the house when Yor and Loid go out. In fact, Twilight is so worried about his cat wrecking things he always asks Frankie to cat-sit. And we all know from a later chapter that Frankie is trying to be better around cats, as it's a good way to meet girls.
And last, but not least... this is definitive proof that Anya is a real cat:
... Or maybe Twilight is the real cat, dreaming of other cats?...
The second cour's ED provides another reading - that Twilight is the one who's the cat. We see him prowling on the edge of a roof - this is cat behavior. We see him somehow being able to sleep at the weirdest angle on just any surface - this is also cat behavior. He also clearly has a strong urge to paw at Yor... are you saying he's not a cat?
Why 'Anya is a cat' is a vital theory to understand SxF
Twilight adopting Anya the cat subverts the trope of 'cat lady'. He is a 'cat man', someone who society does not expect to be soft for a cat, someone who society does not expect to be a bachelor at his age. Given how Endo makes a point of how conservative Ostania is, Twilight finding in his heart to love and care for Anya the kitten is a small act of rebellion. It is him sticking it to the man. You know, apart from all the spy stuff.
Anya being a cat Twilight has adopted also reflects the futility of trying to actually achieve world peace. We've all heard of the phrase 'herding cats'. Well, Anya is a cat. Twilight hasn't been able to train her at all. Granted, he's been trying to teach fractions and history to a kitten, but the point still stands. Attempting to bring Westalis and Ostania to the table to agree to an armistice and peace is impossible as long as both countries, like cats and Anya, don't want to. As much as Twilight tries, he will never succeed.
The 'Anya is a cat' theory also stresses the warmth of home. Anya is frequently and prominently shown in her onesie throughout the series when she goes to bed. Sure, one can interpret this as Twilight really liking dressing up his cat/daughter - and he seems like someone who would. But this is also obviously a symbol - it only works if Anya's feline though. She is the cat's pajamas. The Forger home is the cat's pajamas. Twilight's found family is the cat's pajamas.
And so whether Anya is a little girl who's like a cat, a little girl who's a cat-human hybrid, or a little cat who's like a girl... Anya will always be Twilight's daughter. He loves her no matter what.
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