Are Furries animal lovers?

[Xitheon]

I'm obsessed with animals. It's my autistic obsession/hyperfocus. I am constantly thinking about which animals I can keep and/or help. I keep pets and give money to animal welfare societies. It rules my every waking moment and every dream I have. I read about animals, watch animal movies, and I feel deeply bonded to animals and the thought that I'm a ferret gives me a sense of completion. I relate to them more than I relate to humans.

Is this a furry or possibly a therian thing? I don't relate to humans, just animals.

 

[Hollowsong]

Not sure. I can empathise with most of that, but not nearly to that level...

 

[Punji]

It's easier for anyone to like animals more than people I think. Furries just go that little bit further by incorporating the animal aspects into our human selves.

I'd say so!

 

[The_Happiest_Husky]

bark bark

 

[DrinkingVesper]

No I am just part of a community of people who anthropomorphize them.

 

[TyraWadman]

I think therian is more along the lines of what YOU feel you are * Edit cause the rest didn't make sense, I misread

I think it's a mixed bag to be honest. There are people in and outside of the fandom that claim to be animal lovers but in reality it's like they're holding the animal hostage and it's suffering/being smothered. Or just shitty owners in general, like feeding their dogs birthday cake and chocolate and wondering how they developed so many health problems. Lord knows I've seen so many furries get slammed for fraud when they ask for emergency vet bill donations and then turn up at a convention.

 

[Troj]

I've always had a deep fascination with nature, the life sciences, and animals. As a child, wherever I went, I always scoped the scene for dogs or cats to pet or other animals to watch (and probably try to pet), gravitated to media with animal characters, and subscribed to several magazines related to animals and nature conservation.

All things being equal, I've always preferred stories about animals, extraterrestrials, or robots to stories about :::yawn:::: humans.

 

[RubberfemAsriel]

Not always but i like fox's because they can be cute and can make los of different noises.

 

[Foxridley]

Since furry is already a kind of nebulous thing, there is no single answer. But I think a lot of furries are animal lovers.
One way to put it is that the status of animals in society is somewhere between people and objects. It’s kind of a spectrum depending on the animal and the individual person’s attitude toward animals. Furries, I suspect, tend to hold animals closer to the “person” end of the spectrum. They already have an interest in anthropomorphizing animals. They often represent as animals, even for non-therian furries for whom it’s a game of pretend.

 

[Regret]

Furries like animals but I’m hesitant to extend it as far as animal lovers. On the other hand, I don’t know how you could like anthros but actively dislike animals let alone despise them.

 

[MaelstromEyre]

I've noticed it varies. I mean, some people in the fandom are hardcore animal lovers, they have a gazillion pets of various types. Others are maybe a bit too into the idea of animals as "characters" and don't grasp that actual animals still need to be cared for properly. At times it surprises me that people in the fandom have really limited knowledge of actual animal behavior or biology, even when it comes to the animal species they've chosen as their fursonas.

 

[AniwayasSong]

I'm obsessed with animals. It's my autistic obsession/hyperfocus. I am constantly thinking about which animals I can keep and/or help. I keep pets and give money to animal welfare societies. It rules my every waking moment and every dream I have. I read about animals, watch animal movies, and I feel deeply bonded to animals and the thought that I'm a ferret gives me a sense of completion. I relate to them more than I relate to humans.

Is this a furry or possibly a therian thing? I don't relate to humans, just animals.

I loved critters way, WAY before I ever knew anything about 'Furry.' My lifelong goal was to become a Veterinarian. That dream ended quite abruptly, but I've stayed involved with critters to this day (am well trained by my Husky and Catto, just ask them!) :-D
I still work with livestock though I've had to greatly par down my physical involvement (I'm not chasing steers on horseback and roping them for instance), but there's tons of less physical chores/needs that let me get my fill of being involved in their lives.

I have to believe most Furries have a great affinity for critters. To me that just makes sense. In fact, I can't think of a single Furry that does NOT have at least one critter in their own pack/herd/school/flock?! Perhaps those who travel too much and can't (easily) keep them alongside/ensure they're living a healthy/good life? Those who still live at home or with others who cannot or mandate no pets in the same domicile (I'd be moving out of that situation fast as I could!)?

I can't imagine not having critters in this life. While I've managed to avoid becoming that 'Crazy Cat Lady' of the neighborhood, I'll admit there were times I definitely qualified! (worked with a few 'Rescue' groups, years ago.)

For me, the one (sometimes neurotic) Husky and the (sometimes clingy) Catto are more than enough! We keep each other amused (and frustrated, in turn.)!

 

[Crimcyan]

Idek I dont really care for most animals, all of the animals I own myself is because they look cool.

 

[Filter]

I usually relate better to people who like animals than those who don't.

My cat is my best friend, I've had many pets, much of my life has been spent on or around nature preserves, and I'm a nature lover in general. Fauna, flora, astronomy, you name it. Being a fan of science fiction and folklore, enjoying comics with animal characters, it's all pretty consistent for me. At a party, I'm the stereotypical introvert in the corner keeping the pets company... and maybe chilling with other people who like animals.

If you can help animals, that's awesome. Having pets can scratch that itch. There are other ways to become involved, of course, but a lot varies depending on where we are in life and what opportunities are available. I've thought about volunteering at local animal shelters, but I'm too squeamish about things like euthanasia and hearing how various pets surrendered to the shelter may have been mistreated. There are things I'd rather not know.

I'm not sure what a typical furry is. Some may just like the community or the aesthetics of the characters. From a design and social perspective, that's cool, but I wouldn't expect a typical furry fan to delve much into science or philosophy.

As I'm typing this reply, I'm thinking that part of what appeals to me about these characters may be that (in my mind's eye) they represent fellow people like me who like animals. Kind of gives another layer of meaning to what some would dismiss as just another sexy pinup or whatever, but I do imagine what a fully functional society of animal people might be like, and think they look cool in their own right. Sometimes, you just like what you like, you know? You don't need to have a reason why.

Sounds like yours is a healthy obsession.

Anyway, it's fun to think about this stuff. I'll stop now before I go completely off the deep end.


*listens to the owls in the backyard instead*

 

[AniwayasSong]

I usually relate better to people who like animals than those who don't.

My cat is my best friend, I've had many pets, much of my life has been spent on or around nature preserves, and I'm a nature lover in general. Fauna, flora, astronomy, you name it. Being a fan of science fiction and folklore, enjoying comics with animal characters, it's all pretty consistent for me. At a party, I'm the stereotypical introvert in the corner keeping the pets company... and maybe chilling with other people who like animals.

If you can help animals, that's awesome. Having pets can scratch that itch. There are other ways to become involved, of course, but a lot varies depending on where we are in life and what opportunities are available. I've thought about volunteering at local animal shelters, but I'm too squeamish about things like euthanasia and hearing how various pets surrendered to the shelter may have been mistreated. There are things I'd rather not know.

I'm not sure what a typical furry is. Some may just like the community or the aesthetics of the characters. From a design and social perspective, that's cool, but I wouldn't expect a typical furry fan to delve much into science or philosophy.

As I'm typing this reply, I'm thinking that part of what appeals to me about these characters may be that (in my mind's eye) they represent fellow people like me who like animals. Kind of gives another layer of meaning to what some would dismiss as just another sexy pinup or whatever, but I do imagine what a fully functional society of animal people might be like, and think they look cool in their own right. Sometimes, you just like what you like, you know? You don't need to have a reason why.

Sounds like yours is a healthy obsession.

Anyway, it's fun to think about this stuff. I'll stop now before I go completely off the deep end.


*listens to the owls in the backyard instead*

We have a hoot owl in the woods just outside, and I often stand/sit out during the cool, calm hours of the late night/early morning, star gazing/thinking. I've returned the 'Hoot!' more than once, and chuckle when a reply is given in turn!
One thing I'd love to do if I can manage it, is to move into the true wilds, and hear wolves sing. Sit out like I do here, and enjoy their melody. I've heard wolves howl but under more contained circumstances, and while it's still beautiful/haunting/alluring, it just wasn't quite the same. I very nearly think they're mourning, not celebrating their lives, because they lost the ability to roam at will? The single time I heard (a) wild wolf howl, was especially rare/unexpected. To hear a pack's chorus? Yeah, I wanna experience that before I die.

 

[Gushousekai195]

Of course

 

[Yakamaru]

*excited tail wagging and barking*

 

[Xitheon]

I've always had a deep fascination with nature, the life sciences, and animals. As a child, wherever I went, I always scoped the scene for dogs or cats to pet or other animals to watch (and probably try to pet), gravitated to media with animal characters, and subscribed to several magazines related to animals and nature conservation.

All things being equal, I've always preferred stories about animals, extraterrestrials, or robots to stories about :::yawn:::: humans.

I can relate to that.

One thing I sometimes do (while watching a movie or reading a book about humans) is to imagine what the human characters would be if they were non-human animals. Basically doing the opposite of anthropomorphizing them.

I think a lot of people do this and not all of them are Furries or animal lovers, though. It's a bit like the My Little Pony fandom, where fans like to imagine and depict people as ponies. Even the creators of MLP did a lot of this - a lot of joke/background characters are based on fictional and real humans (like Doctor Whooves, who became a pony version/parody of David Tennant aka the 10th Doctor Who.)

I've probably mentioned this in another thread, but I'm a fan of BBC Sherlock and for a charming but bizarre reason the fandom collectively decided that Martin Freeman is a hedgehog and Benedict Cumberbatch is an otter. (The funny thing is that I gave Cumberbatch a fursona before I heard about the otter thing - I liked to imagine him as a Raven.)

 

[Hollowsong]

We have a hoot owl in the woods just outside, and I often stand/sit out during the cool, calm hours of the late night/early morning, star gazing/thinking. I've returned the 'Hoot!' more than once, and chuckle when a reply is given in turn!
One thing I'd love to do if I can manage it, is to move into the true wilds, and hear wolves sing. Sit out like I do here, and enjoy their melody. I've heard wolves howl but under more contained circumstances, and while it's still beautiful/haunting/alluring, it just wasn't quite the same. I very nearly think they're mourning, not celebrating their lives, because they lost the ability to roam at will? The single time I heard (a) wild wolf howl, was especially rare/unexpected. To hear a pack's chorus? Yeah, I wanna experience that before I die.

I've never heard a wild pack of wolves howl, but I have heard coyotes, and it was beautiful.

 

[Judge Spear]

I mean I don't dislike animals and don't avoid opportunities to be around ones that won't immediately kill me, but I'm not a huge buff for pets or wildlife.
I have a little ankle biter dumm ass dog that I give sweet potato treats and call a precious little angel sweetpea. And I've kept spiders until their short lifespan takes them from me.
But aside from that, can't say I'm the hugest animal dude despite being in this fandom.

 

[Smityyyy]

I honestly don’t know. I personally think most furries separate anthros so much from real-life animals that that they can like them without necessarily being interested in actual animals.

Personally, I love animals, and have years of experience in animal research and husbandry. However, I don’t look at anthros as being true “animals” and thus don’t really connect my affinity for them to real-life animals.

 

[Pomorek]

As can be seen, this is very much individual thing and it varies... For me personally, this is resounding yes! I mourn cats more than people, I take pity on various small bugs, caterpillars and such and try to take them out of harm's way, if I only can I catch insects and spiders and throw them outside instead of swatting them, I'm increasingly edging towards vegetarianism and seeing a wild critter easily makes my day better. I wonder if animals can sense that in turn and don't feel threatened by my presence - I had an occasion to meet a fox at a few meters distance, and when I encountered a wildboar with piglets, we just looked at each other and continued on our respective ways. I also try to be responsible, I don't have any pets currently as my living situation is too messed up to provide them with what they need. Even had to transfer the care of a cat we saved to my sister because of that...

"Furry-wise", I make a point to be educated about the species I use in my art. In fact it has been finding out about cool less-known species that guided my decisions here. I think it would be great to see the respective animals IRL but so far I only had luck with an arctic fox at a zoo.

 

[Parabellum3]

If furries wouldn't have liked animals, then why would they have an alternate persona as an animal?

 

[a sleepy kitty]

I love animals, but I am a crazy cat lady at heart, even though I don't own any atm. Living situation and whatnot.

Sorry to see you leave FAF, Xitheon.

 

[Fallowfox]

I didn't realise Xitheon deleted her account.

I am currently working as an animal researcher (for want of a better term)/ have published as one before.

I love seeing wildlife- and having recently arrived in the US the amount of wildlife here is amazing.
I really don't like being around pets though!