Yes -- it's strange -- if our furry breathes, has to be fed every day, or has to be walked a couple of times a day, or has to have the litter plan cleaned, or has to go to the vet to get all sorts of medicine -- nobody thinks that needs a psychological explanation -- but if your furry requires no effort to maintain, and you can easily take it wherever you want, then a psychological explanation is required. How about it's just okay for non-children to collect cute toys and be excited about them? re: comments Well -- I thought this question was about people who like to dress up in furry outfits and engage in uncommon sexual practices. But I somehow had "safe search" turned on, and I ended up with a page full of search results about people who keep furry objects and treat them as real live pets. So I think this question belongs in AB4Adults (see link below)... but my answer wouldn't really be that different for these other furries -- the "real" furries -- who like to dress up before sex -- costume parties have been around probably since Roman times -- I just don't see why someone who likes to dress up before sex requires some kind of psychological assessment -- if you're having fun, and it feels good -- I don't see any reason to analyze it further so long as no harm is done.

Well, you see, furries (as we all know them) enjoy the yiff. Yiffing is a form of release for them, and it essentially goes back to their deep-rooted psychological problems, the warm, chewy centre of this question. It's my belief that furries are either exhibiting: *Wishful thinking. By anthropomorphizing common animals, they wish they were more animalistic. This is, of course, enhanced by the yiff. *Childhood anxiety: perhaps they overcompensate for a disturbed childhood by interjecting somehting as childish as anthropomorphic animals with something as adult as... well, yiff.

The furry fandom is no different than Sci Fi or Anime fandoms. See link http://www.anthrocon.org/about-furry Contrary to CSI, furries are not people who dress up in animal suits and have sex. Only 10% of furries wear costumes. Anyone who every dressed up in a mascot suit will tell you they are very hot. Having sex in suit would risk death from a heat related illness.

I can't say this is a "plausible psychological" explanation but "try this on for size" ;] Make sure to check out the video (link at bottom) Furries are distinguished by their enjoyment of anthropomorphic, often humanoid, animal characters.Examples of anthropomorphism in the furry fandom include the attribution of human intelligence, facial expressions, and often anatomy, speech, and the wearing of clothes. Members of this subculture are sometimes known as furry fans or simply furs. Art and entertainment celebrated by furries include fictional work that employs the concept of animal characters with human characteristics, rather than any particular type of fiction. For this reason, any work, in any medium, may be considered part of the furry genre simply by inclusion of a fantastic animal character, although such characters are most often seen in comics, cartoons, animated films, allegorical novels, and video games. The science fiction and fantasy genres make frequent use of anthropomorphism, and as a result, are especially popular in furry fandom. Since the 1980s, the term furries has come to refer to anthropomorphic animal characters.Although mammals are the most common, anthropomorphized reptiles, birds or aquatic animals may also be known as furries http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeTBG9PU5Js

There's not explanation for any thing people are just doing what they think is fun, and are being picked on for it. they take a minority and make it the majority, whiter it's true or not