1) I'm with all these guys in saying that non-human PoV is okay, as long as the reader can relate to the character. Take for example the robots in Isaac Asimov's Robot series (i.e. Caves of Steel and so on). R. Daneel Olivaw is for all intents and purposes, non-human. His spin on things is very different than that of Elijah Bailey (vanilla human), but most readers (okay, me) find it easier to relate to Daneel than Elijah. Same is the case when you look at the short story Sally (again by Asimov), where one of the most important characters is Sally the positronic brained car. Loyalty, compassion, and a desire to do the right thing (whether that right thing is right for the character or "right" in general is another matter) are the driving factors for Sally's portrayal. And again readers can relate to the story and the character because they are emotions and behavior patterns that the readers know very well.
Only partly related to your question, but this desire to see "human" perpective on things is what drives websites like icanhascheezburger.com, where we "humanize" the cats.
2) I think most sci-fi/fantasy readers are used to going outside their "comfort zone" so long as the characters are gripping, the writing is good, and the story is interesting. Speaking for myself, I like to read at least one book by an author to decide whether it's something I want to continue reading. I can only assume most people who enjoy reading would be much the same way.