Yeah, I don't think it was thrown in last minute. What I meant is that I don't think the story fundamentally changes if you remove it entirely. It doesn't change how I view the main character or his actions at all.
I liked the animal reveal. First I think having everyone be animals was kind of necessary, I mean imagine trying to follow a cast of that size if they werent easily distinguished animal people. It could've just been left as a world of animals, anime has certainly done stranger things. I liked how they tied it into other aspects instead, though. Odokawa can tell people apart because of it, that was neat. Plus it turns into a major clue with the black cats confusing even him. I dunno, I liked it.