Dating is a challenge for a lot of people, and it can be especially difficult for people within a specific subculture, like one that’s centered around animals with human qualities. Yes, the furry fandom is no stranger to the challenges of finding romance.
You’d think belonging to quite a distinct group of people would cover most of the legwork of dating. And you’d be right to an extent. But dating is dating, and looking for love as a furry has its own bundle of hurdles that even normies will find relatable.
Costumes and fursonas set the tone but let’s look at the other dating quirks that come with being a furry. Let’s look at a few furry dating tips and the different ways you can initiate connections within the fandom. So zip up and settle in. Let’s get started.
Furry Dating Tips
Whether you’re already in the early stages of dating or still on the market for a casual or serious furlover, these tips should help the stars align in your favor for a more productive furry dating experience.
1. Get yourself out there
The furry social scene is, by and large, internet-based. IRL meetups mostly involve small pockets of local members and supporters of the fandom. Large-scale events, such as conventions, usually happen on a yearly basis. They’re not much different from, say, being in a book club.
If you want solid social exposure, step out and go to these events. Online interactions are terrific, but you’ll get a better idea of others when you see how they move and talk in the physical space. It goes both ways, too. Other furries observe you within close physical proximity of each other and get a better view of your tangible side.
Use these social gatherings to impress and be impressed. “Peacocking” in person showcases a lot of what you’re about. It’s quite the traditional dating tactic but it persists because it works. Put your best foot forward and surely someone will notice and this can mark the beginnings of great things.
2. Look beyond the furry stuff
The fandom and the idea of belonging to a group with a highly specialized interest really does make one feel remarkable. But don’t let being a furry define you and your preference in a potential partner.
The furry fandom is a pretty strong anchor for a relationship—much more if you’re both seriously entrenched in it. But it is just one common interest. Cast a wider net and open yourself up to other shared passions. It won’t hurt putting being a furry and other furry-related matters on the backburner and talking about travel and pet peeves.
Put it this way. Let’s say you tell your friends and family that you love mangoes. They start gifting you the fruit and other things related to it. They tag you in every post about mangoes that they come across. At first, it’s flattering, of course. It shows that they know a big part of you. But eventually, it’ll make you feel one-dimensional. Things get boring and you may even develop a disdain for something that you thought you really cared about.
Share more parts of yourself that aren’t about furry things. At the same time, appreciate the same things about your date or partner. Use the furrydom as a stepping stone and then build and strengthen your relationship through other means.
3. Don’t use and be used
The furry community is home to extraordinarily talented individuals. It has world-class visual and musical artists, poets, filmmakers, and so on whose works revolve around the subculture. You can just imagine the clout they have in the fandom. But some furries actively seek out a relationship with these rock stars for superficial reasons.
Unfortunately, this is a major problem within furry societies. Some people use the high social standing of popular members of the community to further their own. Don’t date someone simply because they make the best fursuits or they have tens of thousands of followers on social media. And don’t let someone take advantage of you in the same way.
Shallowness is rampant in groups that put great stock in outward appearances and the furry fandom is no exception. If you’re going into a relationship with someone, make sure it’s for the morally right intentions. Like or love them for reasons beyond their acclaim.
If you’re dating a non-furry, determine whether they’re with you because they like you or they just have an unhealthy curiosity in the lifestyle. Indeed, some people will feign interest to get their foot in the door. And when they’re in, they silently gawk, point, and make fun of furries. You don’t know the lengths that judgmental people will go just to feel better about themselves. So keep an eye out for these shifty outsiders.
4. It’s okay to date a non-furry
Calm down, Marie, and take a seat. It’s possible and you should try it despite the stern warning we issued in our previous point.
If you’re worried about culture-shocking your date, perhaps withholding the fact that you’re a furry at the start of your relationship will help. Doing this is also a good way of knowing where they stand with regard to the fandom. Do a slow reveal, and if you being a furry happens to be a deal-breaker then there’s not much you can do about it, is there?
You’re here because you’re probably a furry down to the bone. Don’t purge yourself of something that means so much to you for the sake of romance. Compromise can be healthy but not if it involves removing a harmless part of who you are.
However, if they support the fandom or are even just indifferent with it, don’t make it your mission to convert them. They respect your individuality and you should do the same for them. And please don’t use dating as a recruitment tool. The fandom is for free, creative people with various personalities. It’s not a cult.
iSexyChat Recommends: Furry Dating Sites
Finding a fellow furry at your local pharmacy isn’t easy unless they’re in full or partial fursuit. One of the best ways of zeroing in on your furry friends is by going on sites specifically for furries. Pair up with these furry dating sites and get your cuddle game on the road.
1. FurryMate
FurryMate has been around since 2011 and has since grown into one of the most respectable and top-visited furry dating sites around right now. Getting featured on the Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, and GQ certainly doesn’t hurt its credibility either.
Signing up gives you access to a large and diverse pool of members, which accepts individuals from a large range of age group, sexuality, etc. As of the writing of this post, FurryMate has over 10,000 active members. You do have to be at least 18 years old to join, though.
FurryMate is free with the option to upgrade to their paid subscription service, which unlocks several perks, such as the ability to open and read direct messages. The justification for this seemingly odd move is that it’s for maintaining FurryMate’s reputation as a serious dating portal as well as for discouraging trolls.
We can respect having a premium tier for people that come to their website for serious connections, especially since the platform is known for bots and fake profiles. Testimonials from members who’ve successfully partnered up are available to the public.
So what do you get with a free account? You’re free to browse through profiles, see public photos, and use basic search functions. Currently, FurryMate doesn’t have a mobile app, which is a bummer.
Pros:
- Long history in the furry dating site landscape
- Large community of users
- Easy registration
- Heavy focus on crafting real relationships among its members
Cons:
- Messaging functionality is locked behind a paywall
- Has bots and fake accounts
- No mobile app
2. FurrTrax
FurrTrax is both a social media platform and a dating site. So, don’t worry about peeking in if it’s just friendship and casual conversations you’re after. It boasts an impressively active user community thanks to its interactive features.
There are chat rooms, a game room, a classifieds section, forums, a “Furry Finder”, and many more fun and useful functionalities. You can easily spend a good chunk of your day on FurrTrax. Join groups, which are sub-communities with specialized interests, like writing, LGBTQ+, and even religious denominations.
It’s for people over 18 only. Sign up at absolutely no cost but you’ll need money for the merch store from which you buy simple shirts with tasteful graphics. Donate and get additional customization options for your profile and more.
FurrTrax’s founder is a programmer with extensive experience in IT. Great attention is given to security and privacy, which means bots and fakers are kept at a minimum if they slip through the cracks at all.
For its richness in features and technical competence, FurrTrax’s visuals seem ripe for an overhaul. The homepage looks undoubtedly obsolete. No one will blame you if you mistake it for a local forum website about lawn maintenance in 1998. It’s almost intimidatingly overwhelming to a point with its blocks of small text and virtual lack of graphics. But we suppose the look is part of its charm. And it does have a rather nifty “Switch to Mobile Version” option.
FurrTrax used to have an app version for Android but it’s not available on the Google Play Store. It’s downloadable from several third-party sites, which is a bit sketchy, frankly speaking. The latest version we could find dates back to 2015, so let’s assume that it’s good as dead.
Pros:
- Highly interactive and feature-heavy
- Is also a social media platform
- Very active user base
- Free
- Virtually bot-free
Cons:
- Possibly discontinued Android app
- Aesthetics need a lot of work
3. FurFling
FurFling’s current splash page features a lovely rendering of a boy wolf and a cheetah girl flirting amorously with each other. Also, they’re both naked save for skimpy bottoms. FurFling is NSFW is what we’re saying.
If you’re looking for an online furry dating avenue that allows adult content, then FurFling welcomes you into its opulent, hairy bosom. Just like FurrTrax, FurFling is for both casual socialization and finding a partner for a more serious relationship. Most members hail from North America and some parts of Western Europe, specifically the UK.
Registration is fairly straightforward. It’s open to all genders and sexual preferences. Note that stating your birth date and uploading at least one profile photo are hard requirements.
The website’s design is functional and simple. Profile layouts are uncluttered and easily navigated. The matchmaking algorithm recommends your profile to others with the same interests and vice versa. It’s highly recommended that you make your profile as detailed as possible. Make that algorithm work for you.
Social interaction tools include a chat client and winks, which you send to profiles that catch your eye. As we mentioned, adult content is allowed. Post nudes or risqué artwork if you feel that they’ll improve your chances of finding a partner or at least initiating conversations. Stick to legal content and you’ll be fine.
There are three membership tiers: free, silver, and gold. The paid subscriptions aren’t exactly what we’d call affordable. The most expensive plan will set you back around $100 for a six-month term. There’s a free three-day trial on the silver level.
FurFling caps the number of messages you can send on the free tier. Meanwhile, premium perks include unlimited chats, advanced search, and an upload allowance of up to 100 images. You also see who has viewed your profile.
FurFling’s worldwide membership is quite significant. With over 200,000 furries and allies from across the globe, it’s likely you’ll find at least a couple of furpals that may pique your interest romantically. Or if you’re just looking for new international friends who are comfortable with grown-up stuff, then this portal will suit you as well.
Pros:
- Adult content allowed
- Impressive number of global users
- Intuitive and polished interface
- Offers free membership
- Proactive matchmaking algorithm
Cons:
- Pricey premium subscription tiers
- No mobile app
- Lax verification system
4. Ferzu
Ferzu caters to full-fledged furries and supporters of the fandom alike. The current member count clocks in at more than 40,000, with an average of 500 users active online at any given time. A large chunk of the Ferzu community comes from the US and Spain.
Participate in discussions in common chat rooms or send direct messages to someone you find interesting. The free membership limits the number of outgoing messages and profiles and photos that you can view. If you want unlimited viewing and messaging privileges, an upgrade to their premium membership will sort you out.
With Ferzu+, you also get access to advanced search capabilities as well as voice and video chat. Expect hurdles with language barriers when using the latter feature, though. Paying for your membership also gets rid of annoying pop-up ads, which plague the free tier.
One notable feature that Ferzu offers is the news feed. There, you see recent posts, photos, new members, and many more. There’s a comment section for each new post as well. Again, take note of your membership type as it also affects what you see on the news feed.
The mobile version of Ferzu is available on Android. It’s part of the Grokio communities, which is a group of social media platforms bundled in a single app. Ferzu claims that there’s also an iOS port of its app. But as of press time, the iOS download button on their desktop website is a dead link. Searches for both Ferzu and Grokio don’t turn up any result on the Apple App Store.
Ferzu has received praise for how easy the registration process is, its powerful location-based tools, and for having an excellent helpdesk. Criticism mainly comes from users who complain that many of the members they’ve interacted with are not on the platform to make friends or form partnerships. Instead, they use Ferzu strictly for self-promotion and soliciting attention in general.
Ferzu works great for furries who are very particular in their choice of partners as they have a rather thorough profile creator. You set the usuals, such as gender, age, sexual preference, etc. But you can also detail body type, fursona, and other specialized characteristics.
Pros:
- Good selection of interactive tools
- Proximity-based matchmaking
- Well-made mobile app
- Diverse profile options and search filters
Cons:
- Ads on the free membership level
- Prone to bots and scammers
- Hard limits on free subscription
Furry Dating Apps and Other Alternatives
{{video_youtube PFkJHbf6DqI 600 400>}}
Howlr was one, if not the most popular furry dating app during its lifetime. The platform shut its doors totally in early 2022 due to controversies surrounding its founder, Stormy. Without going too much into the specifics, we’ll just say that Stormy has a more vested interest in animals—real animals—than most of us are comfortable with. Fortunately, a new app called Barq quickly filled the void.
More of a general social network than anything, there’s nothing stopping you from using Barq as an avenue for making more serious connections with other members. Apart from chatting, users can create and join IRL events for the furry community. It also implements a content-rating system wherein you rate if user-uploaded media, such as photos, are SFW or NSFW and how hardcore adult materials are.
Barq is still in active development, so expect a few hiccups here and there. For now, it’s only available for Android.
But don’t confine yourself to furry-centric dating platforms. There are tons of other online opportunities for meeting friends and potential furpartners. Take Telegram, for example. The instant messaging platform has “Groups” that focus on very specific interests. And you can bet your fluffy butt there’s a good number of them that are fashioned for the furry fandom.
Telegram Groups, such as Furry Chat (SFW), Furry Stickers (NSFW), and Fluffchat (SFW) are good jump-off points for your dating journey. If for nothing else, they’re great sources of adorable images, stickers, and memes.
Discord is another messaging portal that fosters connection with others within certain subcultures. The app has a more robust infrastructure than Telegram, which means your interactions aren’t limited to text chatting. There’s live-streaming, video chat, and other high-quality features at your disposal.
There are literally hundreds of public Discord servers that focus on the furry fandom. What’s even better is there are servers that cater to particular furry sub-groups and interests. If you’re into anime, gaming, or art, there’s a server for you on the platform. These interest-based servers are terrific paths toward finding someone with whom you may have a lot in common.
If you’re looking for a furry community that’s undeniably active and vocal, then look no further than Reddit. Say what you will about the discussion aggregation platform, but the furry subreddit is more than 200,000 members strong. Want NSFW content? Join the yiff subreddit and treat yourself to artworks that aren’t just white hot but are also objectively well-made. Many furry-related subreddits also have Telegram Groups and Discord servers of their own.
Like Telegram and Discord, Reddit isn’t laser-focused on providing you with the means of furthering your love life, but don’t let that stand in your way. Strike up conversations with users who catch your attention and perhaps there’s more to them than being amazing memelords.
Finding a Furry Community on Vanilla Dating Sites
Furry dating sites and other platforms that give you socializing opportunities with like-minded individuals are great. They cut out some of the legwork of getting in touch with other furries. But let’s not discount dating sites and apps that serve broader dating purposes.
Websites like eHarmony, Match.com, and Adult Friend Finder give you access to hundreds of millions of people who, just like you, are looking for love. Don’t knock proximity-based dating and hookup apps, like Tinder and Grindr, as well. It might surprise you to find that these spots also have a thriving community of furries. You just have to find them.
Do a search for “furries” or “anthros”. Don’t gasp in horror at the sight of exposed human faces in your search results. Remember where you are. There’s a reason why they turned up when you clicked that magnifying glass icon. But don’t assume that they’re fully into the fandom. They may be simply interested in meeting or, possibly, dating people like you. You won’t know until you hit them up.
Keep your options open. When sites and apps that specialize in furries have failed you, these alternatives may just be your ticket to finding the “one”.
How To Tell if Your New Furry Friend is a Scammer
Most dating sites, including the ones we mentioned here, have bots and fake profiles initiated by scammers. These nasty schemers are mainly concerned with wringing out money from targets.
Scammers send unsolicited private messages and use chatbots that talk up marks and butter them up to the point where they may willingly send money or give up vital private information. In fact, the FBI reported that losses from cybercrimes in 2019 reached more than $3 billion.
The chatbot technology that they use has become increasingly sophisticated that some people might find it hard to tell if they’re talking to a real person or software. But they do have some hallmark qualities that give them away. Here are a few of them.
1. Photos that look too good
Dating app scammers know that the quickest way to catch your eye is by using attractive photos. They usually use images that they fetch straight from the internet. Photos that look too professional or curated are typically a tell-tale sign of a fake profile.
Check their publicly posted photos. If you see a mishmash of furry photos that don’t point to a single fursona, then you might be looking at a scammer. The same could be true if they uploaded only a single photo on their profile.
2. Suspicious profile content
Check for inconsistencies on their profile. Look out for senseless ramblings and obviously copied and pasted content. They may signify that the profile is auto-generated. They may also post invites to questionable external links. Never click them. Just the same, if it’s an empty bio or one that lacks basic information, immediately look the other way.
3. No social accounts on their bio
Most people share links to other social networking sites that they’re on. It’s almost common practice, especially if they’re looking to improve their standing on those particular sites or apps. Many real people on dating sites give a glimpse of their personal lives through their Instagram or Facebook account as well.
Fakers don’t usually go to that length. Projecting an authentic-looking profile is too much work for lazy scums. And setting up even more fake profiles on other social networking platforms for a dating app account that may get reported for fraud is just too risky for them.
4. Quick and odd responses
Chatbots have responses to your messages on the ready and don’t have to manually type replies. If they respond instantly—mere a fraction of a second after you hit that send button, you may be talking to a robot. Illogical, incongruous, or seemingly scripted answers should also make you raise an eyebrow or two. End the conversation ASAP if you detect unnatural speech from your new friend.
5. Invitation to a different chat client
Cybercriminals will often invite you to move the conversation to a different chat app where they can use their scamming tools more effectively. Don’t entertain this idea from the get-go. Keep your conversations within the site or app and never click fishy links that they paste.
If you’ve confirmed that the person on the other end is indeed a real human being looking for legitimate connections, then perhaps that’s when you should start considering moving to a different chat client. But make sure it’s one that you’re comfortable using, preferably a chat app that you already have extensive experience with.
Apart from blatantly asking for money, scammers may ask for contact information, which may result in your inboxes getting blasted with spam. They may also send you links to websites that automatically install incredibly damaging malware, such as crypto mining virus or keyloggers—software that note login credentials. Watch out for these red flags and greatly improve your chances of not becoming yet another victim of cyber-scamming.
Parting Thoughts
What does being a furry mean to you? Do you see it as a hobby, a passing interest, a fetish, or a complete way of life? If you know the answer to this question, then you narrow down your dating options and approaches significantly.
We do, however, recommend a freehand approach to furry dating. Go on dates with expectations of romance but don’t discount the possibility of simply making new friends in the process. Connecting with someone who shares your uncommon passions is always a treat. If it evolves into something deeper, then mazel tov! If not, then you possibly gained a new furry pal, which isn’t all that bad.
For more dating tips, check out our other blog posts!
