[quote=@Dusty]

 Sentient animals are a staple part of Faery Tales, and you’ve mentioned the big bad wolf multiple times. Would a talking, thinking animal be common in this world, or are the animal characters to be replaced by human personas?
[/quote]

There's no one answer for that question. It all depends on how the Fable in question is interpreted. But even if the latter option is used, such as the case is for Basil and Ratigan, the animal part of the character isn't or shouldn't be completely ignored either. It's not immediately apparent, but the mouse thing will still play into how the story of Basil and Ratigan play out.