Yeah, for me catgirls were an anime trope originally.
Though, as far as anime girls go: there are many more to choose from and that makes them all the more enticing for おたく「otaku」. Demon horn girls (e.g. ラム「ramu」"Lum" from うる星やつら「urusei yatsura」"Those obnoxious aliens" being a classic example from the late 1970s/early 1980s and a more recent reboot/remake)
CC:
@Andrew Zonenberg @erin (dyke type)