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Anyone who owned a Sega console will agree that Sonic The Hedgehog was a supercool character. But it was his sidekick Tails, a young fox propelled by his two spinning tails, which convinced 24-year-old John he was a furry - a person fascinated with animals with human qualities and who often believes they are an animal inside a human body.

'I always felt a certain kinship to Tails and when I dress up as FoxB, my fursona, another side of my personality comes out,' he says. 'When I am him, I'm like a hyperactive teenager who's had too much sugar.'

FoxB runs London's 'furmeet', where like-minded individuals meet every three weeks. 'Furries come from all walks of life. We get doctors and people from the film industry who just want to share their appreciation of anthropomorphic animals. I'm not ashamed, my friends and family know how I feel.'

In just over a week, the world's largest furmeet will take place in Pittsburgh, US. Up to 4,000 furries are expected at Anthrocon, where they can watch stand-up comedy, take part in role-playing activities or chill out in the zoo area. And, although some furries are happy pottering around in a head-to-toe wolf outfit, others take their passion into the bedroom.

Marcony is a 33-year-old artist, musician and gardener and one of the longest-serving furries on the London scene. His fursona is a black-and-white stripey cat and, instead of the itchy, mascot-style outfit most furries opt for, he uses sophisticated prosthetics and make-up to express his feline personality.

'The non-sexual side of furry is all around us: the 20th century's greatest work of political fiction was Animal Farm. There is a sexual side and I have dabbled in it through costume play and furry erotic art. When other boys were making use of the ladies' underwear section of the Kays catalogue, I would draw one of its models with kitty ears and a tail.'

Trends occur in the furry world just as they do in mainstream culture and, according to Marcony, female cats have dominated this burgeoning subculture for the past decade. 'It now seems to be a toss-up between female bunnies and wolves. They are particularly popular in furry erotic art.'

A common misconception about furries is they want to have sex with real animals. This confusion often comes from hardcore sites which contain sketches of a half-man, half-zebra figure having sex with a lion or orgies of lesbian wolves. Others describe the beauty of busty cows and curvy, doe-eyed donkeys. However, this is an unfair reflection - furries are far more interested in the idea of humans and animals 'as one'.

That said, there is a company based in the Netherlands that even allows furries to live out this fantasy by starring in their own porn film. They dress as their fursona and throw in some added biting and scratching. Philip, the site owner and videographer, says he gets lots of enquiries from men who want to be in videos with women. But how does one have sex dressed as a wolf?

'We do have a problem with heat because the costumes are made from petroleum-based materials, not natural fibres,' he explains. 'So filming is most practical when it is already cold in the room.' Philip, ever the professional, doesn't let these complications get in the way and, if he has an overheated fox, bear or cat on his hands, he will film close camera angles so they can keep their animal head off. 'Or they take regular breaks,' he continues. 'Typically, in 90 minutes of filming, there is just about 20 minutes of activity.'

For people who want to take their fixation to the next level (oh yes, there's more) they can be covered in body paint. 'Instead of a physical costume, animal patterns are painted directly on their body,' explains Philip. Shows such as Star Trek used a human and gave them an 'alien paint job. Rather than try for an alien look, we go for an animal paint job.'

Of course, not every furry is fixated with sex and many simply appreciate the mythological side. 'I have been brought up a strict Radio 4 listener so the intellectual pursuits have always been an important part of my life,' says Marcony.

And FoxB says he and his friends have never been interested in having sex in their outfits. 'I know of relationships that evolve in the furry community between two people but I just like dressing up and looking like a prat. It makes me happy.'

Fancy becoming part of the furry subculture? Here's your quick guide to speaking the lingo:

'Yiff' is sex

'Yiffing' means mating

'Yiffy' means horny or sexual

A 'fur pile' describes a group of furries lying on top of each another, trying to get comfortable

A 'furvert' is anyone who is sexually attracted to mascots or someone in a fur suit

'FurryMUCK' isn't as rude as it sounds - it is a chatroom kingdom where users pretend they're polar bears and red-tailed hawks.

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Originally posted by Shane
reminds me of a CSI programme

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Originally posted by Tom
Reminds me of last weekend

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Originally posted by RyanSxi

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Originally posted by Tom
Reminds me of last weekend

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Each to there own mate

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Originally posted by CorsAsh
I've seen this on CSI.

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