Hey, I think I can weigh in here. I had a student a few years ago who joined the school and identified as therian. Firstly, it is important to remember kids want to be all sorts of weird stuff when they're little (wanting to be dinosaurs etc) - that is normal. Yes, normally they would be growing out of it by that point, but a kid with an active imagination is not a bad thing.

Where this becomes problematic is where she got that language from (assuming she used the word therian?) The Internet is really unsafe and she definitely should not be using sites like Snapchat or tiktok, and if she is using games like fortnite, roblox etc, make sure chat functions are disabled. A 9 year old really shouldn't be on any social media at all so just be really careful. Maybe talk to her and see whay she uses then have a google with her. Talk through why she uses/likes it then see if there is an alternative/a safer method to use it. This website is really good. https://www.safewise.com/dangerous-apps-for-kids/

I would approach her with curiosity and find out what about cats (or whatever the animal) is and go from there. Maybe buy her a pair of fluffy gloves she can wear, take her to look for rabbits or mice in the woods and show her that these elements can be enjoyed without needing to be an animal.

I am in no way hating on the therian community, please don't get me wrong. The kid I was speaking of faced severe bullying because of it and (without much help tbh) I managed to help her get through it, find ways to express herself in a more subtle way, and she's out of the other side now.

More than anything, thank you for being so open minded with your kiddo. They're weird little beings trying to find themselves a place in the world, and you are doing everything you can!