If I want to ask about an animal, should I use what or who?

What came out of the cupboard or who came out? In a story. Not in real life.

Thank you!

Question

If I want to ask about an animal, should I use what or who?

What came out of the cupboard or who came out? In a story. Not in real life.

Thank you!

Answer

What

Answer

In real life, "who" is normally reserved for persons. For the animal characters WHO appear in children's stories, it is common to personify the animals. They have human characteristics like talking. If you develop an affection for an animal, everything can change. There is a rabbit WHO frequently visits our yard, to WHOM we have given a name, "Snippers". When he appears, my wife will say "Guess WHO'S here!". We wouldn't dream of insulting Snippers by calling him a "WHAT" or a "THAT".

Answer

You use what for animals or anything that is was not a human.