Id rather go with some kind of bird for her tbh. Graceful and smart. Maybe a preditor bird but honestly she didnt seem like a bad person (before she went insane) maybe just a bit snobbish.
The only bird i can think of is peacock (づ￣ ³￣)づ
Mabye eagle?
Sparrow?
If Maomao's mother was a bird, a phoenix would be appropriate. Or rather Feng Huang, the Chinese equivalent of the phoenix
Maybe a minx, ferret, coyote or maybe a wolf?
imo, a lynx! this is from a symbolism blog: “they’re very reserved and private, preferring to keep to themselves rather than socialize with others. they’re intelligent and logical, consistently using intellect to outsmart enemies and solve problems” and from wiki they’re known as the keeper of secrets and have supernatural eyesight
thinking of how elusive she was as a sex worker plus her intellect, it fits. her wit with games could be considered her “supernatural eyesight” and it’s hinted that she planned her pregnancy with dad from right from their first conception. considering maomaos traits and what she adopted from them it makes sense
So MaoMao is a cat and her dad is a fox, both mischievious and curious. But what animal would her mother be? All i can think of is a snake but i could be wrong with the vibes there