I saw a comment on a site that said that nekomimi and other japanese 'ears and tail' critters had the emphasis on girl/boy and counted as humans, while in the west anthros doesn't have just the ears and tail but usually have fur all over and are therefore counted as animals.

I found that distinction a bit odd, so I replied with this:


Indeed, furries/anthros are more of a western thing.
However, the distinction usually goes a bit like this:
* Animals (Azrael from the Smurfs, Pluto)

* Talking Animals (Wilbur from 'Charlotte's Web', Jiji from 'Kiki's delivery service', Puss in boots)

* Anthros (Disney's 'Robin Hood', Thundercats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Hell - the Carebears!)

Animals usually walk on four legs, act like animals and can't communicate verbally with humans.

Talking Animals also usually walks on four legs but act like humans or a mix of human and animal. They can usually, but not always (Watership Down), communicate with humans.

Anthros usually walk on two legs and commonly have a recognizable civilization and culture that a human can easily recognize and identify with. They can also usually communicate with humans (sometimes they're aliens, so communication might be an issue despite a quite advanced civilization).

Basically the first category are animals, while the other two categories are people, though non-human people.
If you have a problem with that, consider this line:
"It is not what I am, but what I do that defines me."
_____

Now what I wondered was; is this something others agree with, or am I deluded, confused and ignorant?
If you comment on this please put in why you agree or not. :)