Aristotle distinguished four forms of causation. Applying these to explaining why a given animal is what it is (e.g., a cat as opposed to a dog), the soul fulfills all of the 4 causes EXCEPT:

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The material cause refers to the physical material that makes up an object. In the case of an animal, this would be the physical matter that composes its body. The soul does not fulfill this cause, as it is not a physical material. However, the soul does fulfill the other three causes: the formal cause (which refers to the defining characteristics of an object), the efficient cause (which refers to the mechanism by which an object comes into being), and the final cause (which refers to the purpose or function of an object).

Aristotle Distinguished Four Forms of Causation