Generally, it seems it was the year of the Water Rabbit. There are a few sources that list Rabbits as Cats instead... Either way, it was the year of a small, furry, cute animal.
With a few sources calling it the year of the Cat, sometimes I've seen confusion with the previous year, the year of the Tiger.
The basic difference between the personalities of the two years can be associated with the size difference between the two animals... year of the Tiger people are authoritative, emotional, courageous, and intense. On the other hand, year of the Rabbit people are popular, compassionate, and sincere.
The Chinese new year animal in 1963 was the rabbit.
It was the year of the monkey.monkey
Jan 1st to Feb. 7th is Dog - Earth Feb 8th - Dec 31st is Pig - Earth
The animal that represented the Chinese New Year in 1981 was the rooster.
The animal that represented the Chinese New Year in 1966 was the horse.
The animal that represented the Chinese New Year in 1940 was the dragon.
The animal that represented the Chinese New Year in 1967 is the sheep.
The animal that represented the Chinese New Year in 1992 was the monkey.
The animal that represented the Chinese New Year in 1954 was the horse.
The animal that represented the Chinese New Year in 2003 was the sheep.
The animal that represented the Chinese New Year in 1971 was the pig.
The animal that represented the Chinese New Year in 1991 was the sheep.