That's a difference between what they do in the fandom and what the fandom is about. To say the fandom is about x or y where x and y are expressions of furriness is just wrong. It is about the concept not the practices, you can perfectly well be a furry without ever doing x, y or z. Here's a better answer to what the furry fandom is...
The furry fandom is a collection of people who appreciate the combination of animal and human traits in a character and are brought together by this shared interest. It might seem unusual but its just an extension of an interest that humans have had since the earliest examples of art and which is also visible in mascots, iconography and language. The reason people are interested in the furry fandom can differ from person to person and this can sometimes be reflected in the ones that they engage with the fandom. Some people enjoy the furry aesthetic and will be more drawn to artwork and fursuits. Others like asking how the world would be different if it were populated or shared by anthropormphic animals and are more likely to write stories exploring how a society of intelligent predators and prey would co-exist. For others, it's just a fun community where they might engage in role-play with their friends. These different motivations and expressions are fluid, some fans change why they are in the fandom over time, for some, many of these reasons apply and it might even be that none do.
And of course someone will bring up sex and whether it's a fetish...
For a small number, furry might just be a fetish but for most it is just the way that they choose to see themselves and to visualise the world. As sex is a part of the world, it also gets seen through this same furry lens but to them it is no more a fetish than normal human sex is a fetish for the average person. It might seem that furs are all about sex but a big reason for this is that furs are just more open than most. We know that most people look at porn and have sex, it's how we all got to be here, but they generally keep it hidden due to shame or societal norms. In the furry fandom, the norms are different and sex is not seen as something wrong or that needs to be hidden which is why it is more visible than one might expect.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
That's a difference between what they do in the fandom and what the fandom is about. To say the fandom is about x or y where x and y are expressions of furriness is just wrong. It is about the concept not the practices, you can perfectly well be a furry without ever doing x, y or z. Here's a better answer to what the furry fandom is...
The furry fandom is a collection of people who appreciate the combination of animal and human traits in a character and are brought together by this shared interest. It might seem unusual but its just an extension of an interest that humans have had since the earliest examples of art and which is also visible in mascots, iconography and language. The reason people are interested in the furry fandom can differ from person to person and this can sometimes be reflected in the ones that they engage with the fandom. Some people enjoy the furry aesthetic and will be more drawn to artwork and fursuits. Others like asking how the world would be different if it were populated or shared by anthropormphic animals and are more likely to write stories exploring how a society of intelligent predators and prey would co-exist. For others, it's just a fun community where they might engage in role-play with their friends. These different motivations and expressions are fluid, some fans change why they are in the fandom over time, for some, many of these reasons apply and it might even be that none do.
And of course someone will bring up sex and whether it's a fetish...
For a small number, furry might just be a fetish but for most it is just the way that they choose to see themselves and to visualise the world. As sex is a part of the world, it also gets seen through this same furry lens but to them it is no more a fetish than normal human sex is a fetish for the average person. It might seem that furs are all about sex but a big reason for this is that furs are just more open than most. We know that most people look at porn and have sex, it's how we all got to be here, but they generally keep it hidden due to shame or societal norms. In the furry fandom, the norms are different and sex is not seen as something wrong or that needs to be hidden which is why it is more visible than one might expect.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~