Q&A for How to Be a Furry

No, you don’t need a fursuit to be a furry. It’s a wide and open culture that accepts your desire to be a furry and how you choose to interpret your fursona. You might prefer wearing t-shirts and shorts, perhaps a t-shirt with a furry favorite image printed or ironed onto it but even that’s not necessary. What does matter is to have a wholehearted love for the furry fandom and a desire to be a part of it.

Since you’re keen to tell your mom, try to prepare what you want to say before talking to her. For example, you might want to explain to her what a furry is and what it means for you to be a part of the furry subculture. Be ready to answer any questions she might have, like whether it’s a safe subculture to be a part of and what costs are involved. You can offer to show her images of other furries and explain how you’ll use your own skills to make a fursuit to save money, and so on, in case she has concerns.

The cost of a fursuit will vary depending on whether you make it yourself or purchase it, and how fancy it is. Some people have made their own fursuits for a few hundred dollars (the head is often the highest cost due to its intricacy). Professionally made fursuits tend to cost in the thousands. You might be able to get a used fursuit for a lot less by checking trading and auction sites but check it’s clean and in good condition before buying.

A furry is a fan of the furry subculture, a person who appreciates "anthropomorphic" animal characters. These characters have both human and other animal characteristics combined.

It absolutely can. Your fursona can be any animal under the sun. Mammals, reptiles, birds, aquatic life, whatever you like!

Of course not. It's your fursuit, so it is ultimately your decision. Just keep in mind that when wearing a fursuit, nobody can see your face, so unless you choose to speak out loud, people may assume judging by the appearance of your fursuit that you are male.

Explain to your brother that he does not get to control what you enjoy and do not enjoy. The activities that occupy your time do not change who you are; he is not obligated to like everything you like and vice versa, but he should respect that you do what you like, and it doesn't harm him. As for the fursuit, consider waiting until you are older (18 - 25) to get one, as by then your body will be done growing, or you may have even changed your mind entirely.

Not at all. You can create fursonas to be however you choose. Don't limit yourself. Nobody aside from yourself should have the definitive say.

Of course! No furry has to specific in any way like that.

Your fursona can be anything you want, so no, you don't have to specify a gender.

Yes, there is no age requirement for being a furry.

Report it immediately. This is a serious issue, and no one should ever feel uncomfortable or unsafe at conventions. Make sure to report this incident to con staff, and if necessary, the police.

Yes, but not very many. Most fursuit makers require you to be 18+; however, if you look around I'm sure you'll find one.

Not really. People may jump to that conclusion on their own, but for people to be furries, they have to consciously decide that they want to be part of the furry fandom. You can like anthropomorphic animals, draw furry characters, and create furry OCs without being a furry.

Wait until you are old enough to purchase your own. This has quite a few positives. Waiting until you are older gives you time to save money for one. It allows your body time to grow, possibly preventing you from having to reorder a new fursuit. And obviously, it eliminates the need to ask for permission. This is also a smart decision because you may no longer want a fursuit in the future.

There may be some individuals who would say so, but no one speaks for the fandom in its entirety. Fursonas are created with wacky clashing colors, and others have more natural palettes. Both have appeal in the fandom; neither are necessarily boring or unoriginal.

This article is for people who have possibly have had a longtime interest in anthropomorphic animals, explore different fandoms, or just heard about furries and wanted to know more. The goal is to help clarify any questions people might have about being a furry and what it entails, so hopefully they can make more educated decisions about becoming one, or not.

Sure it is, a lot of people have multiple fursonas. You may find that furries may have a "main" fursona, but may also have others hidden behind the curtains.

Of course - people organize matching fursonas all the time! The only issue arises when you copy someone's fursona without their permission. Making twin fursonas is great, and can be a lot of fun!

Probably not. Many schools have rules against wearing anything that could obstruct the view of the face in the dress code. It wouldn't hurt to ask a teacher if you could wear it in a classroom, but don't just show up at school decked out in a full fursuit. If you are able to wear it, make sure you have a safe place to store it once you change out, because chances are you won't be able to wear it all day.

That is completely normal. There are many fans and members of the furry community who are not into fursuiting. It is entirely up to you to decide how you want to engage with your furry interests. Over time, if you develop an interest in fursuits, that's fine too.

You could talk to your father about your decision to be a furry and try to make him understand what's appealing about it for you. Alternatively, you may just have to keep your furry tendencies hidden until you can support yourself in the event that he does disown you.

Absolutely. Hearing accounts from different perspectives can make a huge difference. It would actually probably help to hear from 2 or 3 furries, and try to compare the things they say.

No. Most DADs don't squeak. It's entirely up to you whether or not you want to squeak.

A wise jester once said, "If you're good at something, never do it for free." It couldn't hurt to try to market your fursuits online.

Try looking at animal patterns and species, it can also be the animal that best represents you!

Yes, they can be.

All you need to do is stop participating in any furry-related events, avoid visiting furry-related websites, and stop wearing any fursuits.

Try experimenting to see if they do. It may depend on how realistic the suit is. If you've got a mask/head that goes with your suit, try interacting with your pets without that on at first and see how it goes.

Yes it can.