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What it means to be furry
Someone who says they are furry is generally expressing an interest in anthropomorphic animals and/or creatures.

Unfavorable attention from the media has created a negative stereotype of a furry. Contrary to how a Furry is portrayed in pop culture and mass media, how deep or meaningful an interest in Furry is varies greatly from person to person. Also, the breadth of a person's interest in the fandom, and what ultimately makes them furry, is specific to each individual. Below is a list of common interests with which a fur is likely to identify. A furry may be interested in any or all of them, to any degree.

Someone claiming to be furry would also be part of the furry fandom.

Furry's gamut of interests
Cartoons and games
Interest in anthropomorphic animals and/or creatures can be as simple as the many popular furry cartoon characters, known as funny animals. These may include Bugs Bunny, Tony the Tiger, Sly Cooper, Star Fox, etc. However, someone who merely happens to like these characters is not necessarily a furry; the degree and nature of one's interest is relevant here.

Spirituality
Some furs believe they have a spiritual connection to a particular animal which is typically their fursona, but also may be a totem. Strong spiritual believers may often say that they are "an animal in a human body" (and in fact may identify themselves as Otherkin, Weres and/or Therians). Furry lifestylers often fall into this category.

Art and creativity
Some furs may be interested only in the creative aspects of the furry fandom. Furry content, both online and off, is easy to obtain, and available in vast amounts, and furs produce new works regularly. Furry artwork is also done by many nonfurries as well in targeting the fandom. Others may disassociate themselves from the fandom and refer to themselves as funny animal artists. Furries may also enjoy role-playing a particular furry character or fursona, sometimes writing about this character or recording their online interactions for posterity.

Fursuiting
A relatively uncommon practice among furries is to dress up in a costume that is typically designed after a fursona.[1] These "fursuits" are usually worn at conventions, and a few are even designed to accommodate sexual situations.

Sexuality
To some furs, the sexual attraction to anthropomorphic animals is a part of what makes them furry. This is a topic of much controversy, as it has been the subject of early media attention (such as that from Wired Magazine and Vanity Fair), and has spawned a few groups (such as the Burned Furs) with a desire to shame or suppress those who display their philias in public.

Other contexts of Furry
From within the fandom, anything classified as an anthropomorphic animal and/or creature could be called a furry. That could be anything from Scooby Doo to various sports mascots to Omaha the Cat Dancer. Since mainstream characters are generally not created with furries in mind, the furry context is presumed by most outsiders to not be present despite subcultural interest.

Any art showcasing anthropomorphic animals is generally considered furry artwork. Artwork that contains furries in sexual situations may be called yiff or spooge art.

Non-furry furries
Anthropomorphic creatures that are also considered to be furry (even with the lack of pelt or fur) include (but are not limited to): dragons and lizards (also known as scalies and herps, respectively,) birds and gryphons (also known as featheries or avians,) and taurs (centaurs being the prime example.)