Those strolling around downtown Dallas this weekend might have noticed more tails, claws and snouts than usual.

Inside these flamboyant animal costumes, with cartoonish eyes and plushy paws, are people belonging to a subculture known as furries.

They came from different corners of the world, from different occupations – and as different animals.

Cats. Wolves. Lizards.

All of them, though, gathered for the “Texas Furry Fiesta.” The convention, held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, drew more than 8,000 furries — people who create an anthropomorphic animal character.

Attendees saw the event as a safe space to connect with others in the fandom, which has long been stigmatized. In Texas and across the country, the group has also been swept into heated battles over gender identity in the classroom.

About 65% of furries have not told any family members about their interest, according to studies conducted by Furscience, a website started by scientists researching the subculture. About 40% felt that the fandom was not socially accepted, according to the studies.

Dallas-Fort Worth has hosted the annual convention since 2009, according to David Brooks, an event spokesperson who is also a furry. The convention was organized by Creature Arts, a Texas charity dedicated to coordinating activities for those interested in anthropomorphic art.

The convention features everything from panels for students applying to medical school to nighttime dances, Brooks said. While the community can interact on the Internet, the convention offers an in-person space.

“We have a lot of diversity in our community, ranging from race, sex or gender identity,” Brooks said. “It’s hard to find a space where you can gather together and engage in friendly behavior.”

Inside the hotel, hordes of costumed attendees gathered in halls, waited by elevators and snapped pictures. They poked each other with questions about their outfits, and eyed trinkets at vendor tables.

Benedikt Althaus, who goes by Xariif, wore a tiger fursuit draped in red, white and blue stripes and splotches, reminiscent of the American flag.

This is no American tiger, though: Xariif traveled from Germany. The costume was on the cheaper side of fursuit couture, costing about 2,000 euros (roughly $2300 at current exchange rates).

At these conventions, you find friends everywhere, Althaus said.

The fandom has faced controversy, having been tied to sexual fantasies in mass media. For example, a “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” episode portrayed furries as a sexually deviant group. Attendees pushed back on this characterization, saying they are not a fetish community, nor is there an inherently erotic element.

“Most of us are adults. Adult people do adult stuff,” Althaus said. “I don’t think that’s a huge part of this community.”

In 2022, a rumor surfaced in a Michigan school district that litter boxes were being added to unisex bathrooms for students identifying as cats, the New York Times reported. Similar accusations popped up across the country, leaving school superintendents, including the one in Michigan, to debunk them.

In 2025, Gov. Greg Abbott resurrected the hoax during his tour to pitch a $1 billion school voucher-style program, the Houston Chronicle reported. The same year, a bill, called the “F.U.R.R.I.E.S. Act,” was introduced to outlaw role-playing in Texas public schools.

“In some small rural sections of school districts in the state of Texas, they have in their schools, what are called furries,” Abbott told a gathering of pastors in Austin. “Kids go to school dressed up as cats with litter boxes in their classrooms.”

Similar events to the Texas Furry Fiesta have also been the target of violence. In 2014, at a Chicago-area furry convention, an “intentional” chlorine gas bomb was detonated, leaving 19 people hospitalized, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Near Main Street Garden Park, Alejandra Martinez did a double-take when she spotted a tail. Then, another.

It wasn’t a dog, or cat, or raccoon, but people.

While she can’t relate to the subculture, she can relate to the artistry and creativity required of it. At a small market on Saturday, she was selling handmade jewelry and charms for her business.

“If you look at it from a creative outlet, you definitely see, this is actually a hobby they’re dedicated to,” Martinez said.