Furries? What they are and what you should know about them

It just feels like a part of my personality and is honestly hard to describe, it’s just something that I feel defines myself in a way

At its simplest, appreciating anthropomorphic characters. It also often means presenting yourself as one of those characters, and interacting in the community as such.

Being a furry to me is having a stronger appreciation to anthro characters than most people. You may not even have a fursona, but if you love the art, expression, and fandom associated with anthro characters, then you're a furry.

Being a furry means a lot more to me than just a hobby—it’s a huge part of my life and who I am. I joined the community when I was 17, and since then it’s given me a place where I feel like I truly belong. It’s helped me express myself in ways I didn’t always know how to before, and it’s connected me with so many kind, creative people.

I won’t pretend it’s always been easy. I’ve faced hate and misunderstanding from others, but going through that has honestly made me stronger. It’s shown me how important it is to stand by what makes me happy and not let other people define that for me.

More than anything, though, it’s the friendships that mean the most. I’ve met so many amazing people through the fandom, and they’ve become such an important part of my life. One friend in particular means everything to me she feels like home. Having someone like that, who understands me and accepts me completely, is something I’ll always be grateful for.

Being a furry, to me, is about connection, creativity, and finding a place where you can truly be yourself.

Being the true and happy me and one of my favourite things

It feels like having a full community of people of the same interest to you, its like family in a way when you find the people you like hanging out with, you all have the same interest and you can still show it in other ways as the community tends to be really supportive to new furries or just anyone in the community in the general aspect

Really just being part of a community with a common interest in animal like characters

I just like being able to express myself with such colourful characters and not being judged for it

Being a furry is how I express a lot of my creativity. It's a breath of fresh air and I really enjoy art and specifically suit making! The community is really lovely in parts. I really like meeting up with friends at conventions, and talking in servers! It's really a hobby to me but it takes a larger part in my life than all of my other hobbies and interests.

Being part of a fun community that is nearly allways happy to talk and help there frends and just be there for eatother

Being able to express myself through a silly character and connecting with others who share the same interests, "staying cringe" and being true to yourself regardless of what others think.

It does mean being a part of a community of other creatives, but also an outlet for personal expression through my fursona and characters.

A person who seeks a community that allows them to have a break from society, to be silly, to be who they want to be, to do things that they usually would never do because of how others would see them. For people who be who they want to be. No matter their background, color, religion, gender, everyone is equal.

A furry is someone that closely identifies with an anthropomorphic persona/character. It could also be generalised to simply having an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters.

having something that I enjoy that I can share with my friends. It’s something that brings out my creative side.

It means enjoying the art (of all forms) of anthropomorphic animals! I don’t believe I am an animal, nor do I wish I was an animal, I just find it very fun to draw cute little animals that can be used to represent deeper meanings and themes. Or even just the simplicity of enjoying the nostalgia that reminds a lot of people of the classic ‘talking animal’ cartoons we all grew up with :)

To me being a furry means that you like to cosplay and dress up as an animal for fun. You know that your not an actual animal. You just like to dress up to be cute or draw. It is also a big interest in humanistic animals. (NOT IN A WIERD WAY)

i think obviously it means doing this whole hobby of interest in anthropomorphic media whether it be art or whatever, but i think it also means being able to express yourself in however you want and be surrounded by people who are also doing the same thing. like being able to be as weird as u want, as unique, and as different and as special as you can be, while still having so many people understand you. i think it means being part of a family and being around people you can be comofortable with no matter what

I feel like it means a lot, it depends on who you ask. It can mean the community, the art, or just dressing up as a cute character and escaping reality. To me, it means something that’s more than just sex like some furs, it feels like something I can go to when life isn’t doing good, something I can turn to when I just need to escape reality. Being able to go online and talk to friends or dressing up as a character and going to cons means a lot to me, even if I don’t have furry friends yet.

It originally came to me in a dream - it really is just a reflection of the ideal way I see myself, and how I truly want to be.

My friend designed him for me, he knew I loved seals and dogs so they combined the two and gave me the character as my main fursona.

My main sona is a dino mask character with ears on side and she’s really personal to me. I chose the dino mask partly because I’ve loved dinosaurs since I was growing up, so it felt like a natural fit, but it also has that playful, slightly mysterious vibe I connect with.

The ears help make her more expressive, which is important to me since I sometimes find it easier to show emotions through a character. One of my favorite details is the stars on top of her ears—they’re inspired by my real-life star tattoos, so they tie her directly to me and make her feel like an extension of who I am.

Overall, she reflects my creativity and personality, and she’s a really meaningful way for me to express myself.

Wolf :3

She is a seabunny (seaslug) and shes silly, shes purple because Purple is a colour I like, She links with my personal characteristics like silly around people she'd know and silent around others

Bailey is a border collie and I picked that because I feel like a dog fits my personality best

hes a cross between a dragon and a bat and ive poured my entire soul into him, hes pretty much just me but amplified, hes colourful because i love colours and i think he would be boring without it and he has gore elements because of his deep lore and a reflection of my own bad mental health

Starscream is my personal Trusona representing what I kinda wish I looked like in a body kind of way, I chose a saber toothed black Jaguar because I don't believe I've seen anyone do it! And no wanted to feel unique in myself

Lacey is a macaw dog! I added wings because of how i like birds and grian (mcyt)s fanon design, but overall i made her suit wanting to use up some of my material laying around! I then fell in love with her character.

Midnlight is a dragon wold hybrid that loves to try and help pepole and main goal is to make pepole happy
(Is more just to lazy to type rn)

Natra is an extension of myself (think of it as me as a furry), He in the limited lore i have right now is a engineer working for a company called Rampture Labs. He is a protogen, i chose this species for it's extensive use of technology and it's rich lore that i can build off. Personality wise, he is me with all the quakes, traits, insecurities and baggage that comes with me

Lynx is a serval, I'd consider them my truesona as I've always adored felines and I love the attributes of servals :3 I resonate with them heavily, and Lynx is an animal embodiment of me. Even though they're more animal-like, I reflect my own personality and characteristics through them hehe

Bliz really represents the innocence and pure joy that I still have inside of me. They are canonically 16 (the age I was most joyous and social). Bliz is a Southern Leopard, and original species I created after I couldn’t decide what species to make Bliz. In short, Southern Leopards are snow leopards that live in the Australian Alps, drawing from my love of the region and many other “cuter” characters that I wanted Bliz to embody.
Bliz’s colours; Purple, Light Blue and Gold, are my favorites and were chosen when I was much younger. Bliz contains several marks (including scars on their left hand) that I have in real life, as well as long feminine hair (based off a yellow wig I have) that fits with cuteness and gender neutrality. And their overall personality reflects the daydreamy, niece, somewhat autistic part of myself.
I do have 3 other characters that represent other parts of myself, but they are less significant and not really “fursonas”

He is a wolf/husky hybrid and is based on some of my own characteristics

Rudy is a jackalope. He's got orange fur, his hair is a deeper orange with a red highlight, and has a braid. His antlers glow with this yellow light, and aren't physically connected to his skull. They just float very close to his head. I guess I chose a jackalope because I really liked the idea of bunny/rabbit, but I wanted a little more visual intrigue. I remember in a class I had a few years ago that certain animals meant different things in medieval crests, and the deer and rabbit fit me the best. It could also have been influenced by my friend's pets and perhaps I wanted to be closer to them in a way.

I got Monty years and years ago from someone who didn’t really want him. He is a sabertooth, and I have always had a fascination with big cats. He is just a sleepy boy and he likes sushi, just like me.

She’s a mixture between two animals that I’ve always felt and been told I remind people of, a deer and a horse! I’ve always loved the representation of horses more specifically their strength and freedom they represent, and it reminds me of my own personality in a way. As for deer I’ve been told my complexion is similar and I generally remind my friends of the aesthetic that’s often paired with deer haha. I decided to end up making my sona mix of the two to describe both how people perceive me outwardly and how I am truly inwardly, my sona’s appearance is that of a larger deer, not so meek and obviously showing a strong personality despite how stereotypes may see her. A strong willed yet respectful feminine creature! (which also resonates with me haha)

He is an orange sliced themed manokit. He likes to lay in fields of grass with the butterfly's. He is very playful but quiet. I picked this species because they are so cute and cuddly. 😍 It represents who I truly am without bieng judged because you are behind a mask. So nobody truly knows who you are. It makes you feel safe after years of bieng bullied. It also takes away stress

I picked a serval because of how I stick to myself most of the time and I just like cats.

i honestly dont know i just feel like its just me, maybe the species and how they're usually portrayed reflects how i feel about myself

It's a female deer, I chose it because I love deer

I decided on a fox as the species because it’s always been an animal that I was interested in, an animal I loved. His characteristics are kind of deep and gloomy and sad, and I feel like it kind of relates to me outside of the character and how I really feel, and I enjoy that. I also enjoy how his personality completely contradicts his appearance, which is pinks, reds, and hearts.

Making new friends and finding a key part of my personality!

Developing amazing friendships and relationships, as well as having a sense of belonging with people who understand and relate to my furry side.

It has given me a creative side to my life through 3D art and making VRChat avatars to wear.

The reactions I’ve gotten from young children and even family’s when I’ve fursuited out from cons and such on. The smiles giggles and photos will always make me happy.

All the pawsome kind people and having a fursona

everyone is really supportive and kind, they all help each other out and understand what people are trying to do, It feels like another side of life I can hide from my personal side, and enjoy the more fun things with just being myself

Making many new friends and showing off my art and interests to people

going to cons dressed as a giant fantasy animal and being able to talk to other giant fantasy animals

The acceptance when it comes to me being trans

How supportive everyone is about peoples art. We uplift eachother very well as a community through tutorials, teaching and tips.

The community

the community

Being able to connect and talk to others, having positive experiences and just socialising with others/being wholesome

It maybe has been the one or two friends I’ve made along the way. Second to that has been the ability to be freely creative with drawing

Finding a boyfriend and friends

At its core, the furry fandom just lets me be the most myself I have ever felt. It allows me to be a person that feels more than "myself" than how I feel in average life. Just being able to find other people that I can deeply connect with, and to further connect with myself. Recently, I have been taking my time with entering and securing myself in new spaces, online and off. However, having furry as a stepping stone to find like-minded people is quite reassuring.

Being able to express myself, free of judgment.

Meeting my closest friends and even my husband through the fandom!

To help battle my depression

the people. 99% of the fandom is super nice.

i just really enjoy talking to people who r also furries honestly, it makes me feel understood and stuff. it also just allows me to do things i enjoy, like furry art, where i feel like i cant really show it to anyone outside of the fandom

The friends I made

The most positive part is how everyone can seem to enjoy at least one thing in common, no matter your age, and all be able to connect on that level. The connection you feel when you meet a furry outside of suits and cons means something, especially with how non-furs see furries these days.

The most common is occasional harassment at furmeets from eshays - almost always just some name calling though!

Coming out as a furry to my mum was a negative experience for me. We’ve never really had the best relationship but when I told her that I was a furry and I actually loved fursuiting and I’ve made so many new friends from it. She told me otherwise and that that’s not who i am and I’m not a furry. But at the end of the day I told her that this is who I am and I love it.

The internet (as in all the hate vids) and friends

Someone I trusted leaked the profile and I got called slurs and got my personal details leaked

I’ve lost close friends who were anti furries

people bark at me and tell me to kill my self every day, ive learnt to ignore them and they eventually give up or just laughing at them because they look like idiots barking at a random group of alt kids

While I was out public gearing once to the movies a boy ran up to me and ripped the ears I was wearing off then when I tried to get him to give them back him and his friends chased me home after the movie.

Ive been bullied at school a lot in the past. People thought i was a zoophile or an alterhuman by calling myself a "furry" when in actuality i was just facinated by the craft and not at all involved in any of the community at the time. The bullying has died down now, though i am terrified of everyone got reminded and i got busted for still being a furry, it would go back to being horrible.

Pnline harassment

This experience is not directly from some member of the fandom but more just indirectly viewing media that triggers it. When i see someone in a fursuit with all other fursuiter i feel a little out of place, i feel i don't belong and i feel like i'm not worth anything to anyone. The way i deal with this is to keep reassuring myself that I am someone in this fandom and not to dwell on things that are clearly disproven

My irls have made fun of it behind my back, I just ignore it LOL. I don't care if people know, it just gets annoying hearing everything they have to say about it

Simply had a debate with a friend about how furries are bad or something. It just sucked since it felt they were attacking a core part of my identity, and denying somewhere/something that let me feel like myself. The belittling and constant reiteration of negative stereotypes was so frustrating to refute since there are many good people in the community. It also insinuates that I'm a bad person for wanting to feel like myself.

Being bullied or picked on while I was at school.

Often I have people immediately assume it’s a sexual interest, to that I’ve had to explain how it’s not (atleast not for me) and how anything can be made sexual unfortunately , not just furries. Often some people just don’t understand that it’s not a delusion that I believe I am an animal or want to be one, it’s just a hobby and it is not a core part of my identity.

I am 18 and I have been bullied ever since I came out. I have been jumped after school around 6 times total and stabbed in my hand once. I have anger issues btw. I started going to the gym and after I stopped being afraid of defending myself, I split someone's jaw into 3. After that people stopped messing with me and now im one of the bigger people around me and just keep to myself

my friends outside of the furry fandom and my family have negative impressions of the furry fandom so its hard to really show anything. theyve expressed their discomfort and dislike for furries. and also when my parents found out i was a furry it was not very fun

Before I was actually fully into the fandom and still dabbling with it, I remember coming into school one day in 6th grade, when I was about 13, and my friend put cat ears on me. I wore them for fun, not to act like an animal or to be weird, and I remember getting recorded and being made fun of online. I remember being barked at and laughed at and terribly bullied over cat ears. It was horrible, and I kind of hid that part of me away after that.

I always had a positive perception of them - for example my partner has been a furry for quite a while, and I always thought furries were sweet and interesting

Mostly thought it was a bit weird, but something that I'd love to be involved in. I was far too shy to join, and would look at online content for years without ever considering I could be involved. Also thought for the longest time, that friends and family would look at me badly because of it (although now I know they don't care).

Very unique people in terms of personality. But once you get to know people, you find people that seem like normies on the outside but are extremely furry on the inside.

I used to think they were funny goofy and silly always happy to!

Woof woof I’m an animal

I thought of the stereotypical "furries like animals"

I was told that furries were people who identified as dogs, slept in cages and played fetch with tennis balls.. I sadly thought they were weird

i didnt know much about them and i thought it was interesting

People who only Doo sexual stuff in suits

I had no idea, i had no previous experience or word about the label. When i saw people like pocari roo and skyehigh studios on youtube, and mentioned furries, a lot of people were disgusted and i didnt know why.

Wasent sure but knew that the online stigma wasnt true

I've always thought they were very cool

I didn’t really know anything about them before I discovered fursuits and the fandom.

I got introduced to them through social media, so I never had any prejudices

I honestly never really interacted with furries that much, however I was fully aware of the negative stigma that came with it. I had heard about how they were wanting to actually be animals or something so I mostly steered away since it was unrealistic, and if they were pushing that onto me, that's just not worth my time.

I didn’t know about furries until I stumbled across them. I immediately felt drawn to the fandom.

I’ve never really had an initial expectation for how furries were like.

I didnt know what they were till I saw it and researched it. I dont jump to conclusions till I have gathered my information

just people who dressed as animals

i didnt know furries existed till i became one

I felt pretty indifferent about them, was jokingly a furry hater

I’ve always kind of been into furries, like when it comes to the fandom, so I never thought negatively of it. I just thought it was cool and a nice way to express yourself, albeit expensive.

The one thing people confuse is furries and therians. Anti furry people always attack furries with characteristics that therians display

The amazing social opportunities, the amount of charity work performed (especially at conventions), and the acceptance provided within the community, often for those who have been shunned elsewhere.

I wish they would understand that it's more for having fun and being in a close community. Not everyone wants to literally become an animal, but it's fun to cosplay as one. And finally, its more of a creative space.

That non furries or haters will always assume that we’re trying to be animals. Or we’re sexually attracted to them. Thats one thing I’ll always hate. Furries are so misunderstood. Maybe it’ll always be that and maybe it won’t. But we know what we are at the end of the day that’s all that matters

That it’s not a sexual thing

furries don't accept preds or any disgusting behavior and dont try to be linked to that at all, e.g liking animals

It’s just a hobby not my whole life

that were not all in it for the sex stuff and its a very nice community

That not all of us do some form of sexual act in a suit or with each other and most of us just use it as a hobby

The overwhelming majority of furries, specifically the minors, so not engage in sexual and suggestive aspects. I personaly am only apart of the furry community right now because of the artistic aspect, and have a few close local furry friends are my community. I hate how the entire community is regarded as a space for sexual deviants and people who think they are dogs.

Were frendly and not maily kink bassed most of us are normal pepole who are just having fun

That the furry fandom is more then whatever negative parts the media sensualizes

Just because there is a loud minority of weird people does not mean everyone is like that. Also, not every furry has the hobby as a sex thing, even though the nsfw side of furry is still an important part of the fandom (and let murrsuiters live, it's still a job and they work just as hard as other people). We don't bark at randoms, and even if people do like to act more animal-like in their suits it's not of your business especially if they're in character

The general creativity and expression of those in the fandom beyond fursuits and NSFW content

That we're just here to be silly and goof around

For as much as I would like to run away with my furry being, there are actual people behind these fluffy faces. Just because I'm a furry doesn't mean I'm all of a sudden dehumanized to that of a bestial animal. I still have that sense of humanity.

That we don’t think we are animals. (Stop confusing us with therians)

That it’s not a sexual fetish or a belief that we believe we are animals.

That we know that we are not animals and the furry Fandom is not a sexual Fandom. There are just some freaky people

not everyone is a weirdo. don't just judge based on what a small group of people has done.

i really wish they understood how nice people are and how understanding people are here, and i wish theyd stop seeing that niceness and openness as something bad about it. i feel that one of the reasons why people think furries are weird is cause furries are super nice and accepting, which is like, "not right". i wish they understood that this kind of understanding is the reason why lots of people are happier with furries than like, non furries i think

The stigmas around the fandom

I wish they’d understand that we don’t want to have sex with animals, or be animals, or anything like that. I hate that it takes one bad apple to ruin a tree like this, especially with something that’s already “weird” as is.

Furries are people who are interested in anthro animals, and think of it as part of themselves / personality trait, to put it in the most simple terms

Furries are people who have an interest in anthropomorphic characters (like the human-talking animals you see in Disney movies), and people often like to create their own characters like that to represent themselves, and make art and costumes of them.

Furries are people that have an above average interest towards anthropomorphic characters. That's when they can lean into appreciating the creative expression of these characters through art, fursuits and so much more.

At its core, the furry community is a creative and social fandom centered around anthropomorphic animals—basically animals with human traits like talking, walking on two legs, wearing clothes, or having human-like personalities. If you’ve ever seen animated movies or shows where animals act like people, you’ve already seen the kind of characters that inspire a lot of what furries enjoy.

But being a “furry” isn’t just about liking those characters—it’s about participating in a community that celebrates creativity, self-expression, and connection. Many people in the fandom create their own original characters, often called “fursonas,” which can represent an ideal version of themselves, a personality they connect with, or simply something fun and imaginative. Others express their interest through art, writing, music, costume-making (like fursuits), or roleplay.

What’s often misunderstood is that the fandom is not defined by any one activity or stereotype. Most furries don’t own costumes, and the community itself is incredibly diverse. For many, it’s simply a hobby and a space where they feel accepted and free to be themselves.

Personally, being part of the furry community since I was 17 has meant a lot to me. It’s not just about the art or the characters—it’s about the people. I’ve met so many kind, creative, and supportive individuals who have made a lasting impact on my life. It’s a place where friendships grow easily because everyone shares a sense of openness and imagination.

At the end of the day, the furry fandom is really just a community built around creativity, identity, and connection—no different in spirit from any other fandom, just with its own unique style.

A fun way to express myself and be myself

They are expanded Original characters and cosplay, a two in one where say if you liked an animal, wouldn't you want to be like that animal? an anthromorphic animal with characteristics like you or myself, in simple terms just like sports mascots but not for the company or team, for you.

They are just a community of people sharing an interest

a bunch of people having fun and expressing themselves

it's okay to be confused if you have any questions about the fandom or things that may be true or not just ask me!

Furries are people interested in anthropomorphic animals. The whole fandom runs on creativity, and would not be possible without art, fursuits/sewing, animation, writing and games, all made by talented furries. People express being a furry through "fursonas" that represent them as an anthropomorphic animal, to varying degrees. They often make/commision art and fursuits to express it. The fandom had so many subcultures, that its impossible to name them all, but theres a place for everyone who wants to be involved.

Like an anime cosplay were still human just dressing up and having fun

Furries are like cosplayers that are leaning more towards the furry and animal side. Their have the same great things and downfalls of all cosplayers and are no different between each other. The same bad things that may be said about furries can also have the same chance to be applied to cosplayers

People who like to dress as their animal characters for fun, it's essentially cosplay. Some people embrace it more than others

Just a bunch of people who like anthropomorphic animals and create their own characters of them

People who seek a community that allows them to have a break from society, to be silly, to be who they want to be, to do things that they usually would never do because of how others would see them. For people who be who they want to be. No matter their background, color, religion, gender, everyone is equal.

Furries are people that closely identify with an anthropomorphic persona/character. It could also be generalised to simply having an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters.

It’s more of a hobby that people can use to express themselves and build relationships with people around them. It is where people can be creative and feel like they belong somewhere.

Just people with a hobby similar to cosplay or even gaming. And they’re just as normal as the people who work for popular animation studios that draw anthropomorphic animals, heck even anthropomorphic animals have been depicted in different religions and throughout history for poetic depictions.

I would tell them what it means to me

furies are people who express themselves as anthropomorphic animals

"people who are in the hobby of anthropomorphic media, kinda like the anime fandom"

People who like anthro stuff

I would say it’s literally just like cosplay, it’s cosplaying as a character you made that just so happened to be an animal. It’s no different than cosplaying Hatsune Miku or Naruto, but with this it’s a character you yourself made, relate to somewhat, and love expressing as.