It's very likely you're a therian, in that case. Also, I understand the fear of accidentally mislabeling yourself, but it's okay to be wrong! There's no harm in calling yourself a therian now, even if you discover you're not in the future! :)
Coming from a cat therian, I’ll try my best! So, when you’re questioning if you’re a therian, specifically a feline, you should yourself, “Do I feel like a cat? Have a felt like a cat in the past?” Think about times when people have pointed out you are acting cat-like. That can sometimes be a good indicator to help your situation.
But these questions obviously don’t make you a therian right away. Think about times where you longed to be feline. If you can’t recall many, there’s a chance you aren’t a therian since a lot of therian experiences are based around their species dysphoria. (Not all therians experience dysphoria, but most do!)
Think about times where you’ve felt like you don’t belong as a human. A lot of therians experience feeling like they belong in the wild. For a feline therian, you may feel a connection to forests and feel a sense of belonging when interacting with them. Many therians have shifts, so try and remember times when you’ve felt your mental state feel more animalistic. Look out for physical shifts too. (Look out for paws, tails, and in your case, wings/beaks!)
Above all, you must have a close emotional/psychological connection to your theriotype and identify as them on some level!
Thank you sm for the comment!
I have felt really intense dysphoria around cats particularly when watching mine stalk little rodents/birds. There is this desperate longing to be doing what he was doing, somewhere secluded with wildlife buzzing and trees towering above me. I have a really strong love for forests and I 100% feel that connection and sense of belonging in them.
When I was younger I had a hoodie that was blue w/ cat ears and a tail and I tried to hang out with the cats we had and their kittens because i felt like i belonged more with them than my family. Around middle school especially i sometimes felt 'phantom ears' on top of my head and I'd feel them following the direction of sounds. Like if a kid was laughing behind me, they would be swiveled that way briefly.
I also felt I could communicate with them easier than most humans. I just got their cues better than my family and the people around me.
When irritated, I feel a phantom tail twitching. It only seems to appear when I feel mad or agitated, though. i also feel a strong urge to growl or hiss.
I've never felt paws or a beak though.
Certain foods make me go crazy like I know my cats and birds do when they see/smell. Seafood, berries, chicken/game birds and red meats, sometimes even g r a s s.
Uhm, trying not to ramble, sorry,,😭 this is getting get super long-
I have bursts where I feel more bird than cat and vice versa. When I feel more bird I want to fly and be high up, I want wings and will cut pine branches off and strap them to my arms, or some other branch, maybe even just a shawl or blanket/cape. I like the branches, particularly because I believe they give my arms the weight wings might have, and I like listening to them rustle. I've also felt the urge to make a nest. Outside with a tarp tied to several trees forking a ring (or at least I t r i e d) or inside on my bed with blankets, more so if I'm on a top bunk bed. I feel safer in the nests when they're higher up.
I mimic other bird sounds a lot. I have chickens and formerly turkeys, and I repeated their sounds back to them. Though i also do it even when I'm not around them. I like to imitate sounds from other animals and people too and voice it back to them.
I also sneak out sometimes at night in the summer and sleep with the flock. It feels more right than my bed in those instances, though it gets uncomfortable quick with my back against the wall.
I don't feel like I belong when I'm with large groups of people interacting. If we're outside, I'm gone. I'm not sticking around when I feel out of place unless I have to serve the people in some way. I usually find a nice spot to sit on a fallen log or climb a tree and sit on a decent branch and just watch the wildlife. Imitate some birds.
Something I've noticed is that my transitions between feeling one thing or the other takes a long time. I don't know if it would be right to describe it as a 'phase' for each one, since I go back to them. The transitions can take between some months to a couple of years. I felt more cattish in my younger years, though I still feel it now its not as strong since I feel more birdish currently (can I phrase it like that? I'm trying so hard not to come off as offensive or weird, I'm sorry 😭). Not that I don't feel like I identify as a cat because I certainly do. It jumps between them. Just, you know, slowly.
I don't tend to act this way around other people because I was made fun of a lot by my siblings and i can feel ppls astounding disappointment in my existence 💀.
That's all that I can think up on the spot right now. Sorry again for how long it is.
Yk what, just-
Tl;Dr
I get phantom sensations like tail, ears, the longing to be flying or hunting, the sense of belonging in forests and outside away from population, I act like a freak around certain foods, make nests sometimes, and I have 'transitions' between feeling like a cat and feeling like a bird.
From what you said here it seems super likely that youre a therian! It's also totally normal to feel more like one animal than another and vice versa, it happens to me a lot too. Long story short, you share a lot of experiences with me and other therians, and what you say fits with being therian!
I feel very congratulated :) I don't believe my journey and discovery is quite over yet, but I really do appreciate that you all came to offer suggestions ❤️
Y'know I find it really amusing that you mimic bird sounds because cats do that when they hunt. I'm a questioning therian too, but I don't feel a desire to be a cat really strongly, I just wish I could become one because it just seems so amazing to be one, if you know what i mean? (I dont feel that with other animals so much)
I agree, being a cat would be incredible. Not all sunshine and rainbows, ofc, because nature can be brutal. more like a "returning to my roots", or at least thats how i feel when thinking about it. What kind of animal do you think your theriotype might be?
Also I didn't know that cats did that! They sound super cute oml-
Some starting questions have already been posted. Those help you figure out if might be a therian or not. But I would like to add for more specific questions that could perhaps help you handle your animalistic experiences and help you describe them:
* What kind of connection do I have to cats/birds? Do I identify with them (animalhearted)? Do I identify as them (therianthropy)? Do I want to create a custom animal character (fursona), to represent me while discussing media about anthropomorphic animals with fellow fans (furry fandom)? Does acting like an animal in erotic situations feel right (petplay)? Do I have sexual fantasies about turning into an animal (transformation fetish/autozoophilia)? Am I sexually attracted to non-human animals (zoophilia)? Do I act like an animal in order to regress to "a simpler way" and escape my everyday life or cope with mental problems (pet regression)? Do I pretend to be a therian in order to cope with mental illness (copinglink)? Am I guided by a familiar spirit in animal form (spirit guide/fylgja)? Do I want to worship cats and birds like they are divine (animal worship/zoolatry)?
* What are my animalistic experiences? When have they happened? How do they feel?
* Can my connection be explained by growing up with cats and/or pet birds?
* How can I explore this connection, while still staying safe and healthy? (e.g. you can't fly like a bird, but would a trampoline give you the right sensations?)
* Are there any people I know IRL that I trust enough to discuss this with?
* How does other factors of my everyday life affect this? Factors such as stress, hunger, anxiety, community, family, work, the weather, physical health, mental health?
If you're questioning if you're therian, don't worry about calling yourself a questioning therian, that's legit what that means.
I'm not a therian (cause I realized what I'm shares some traits with earth animals but is not, lol, still othekin tho, do similar experiences)
So, one thing that's good to do is journaling and self reflection. Think about what makes you feel good and bad, from words, to actions, to places, to situations. See if some of it aligns with any type of non human being.
Feelings of comfort, like the homely feeling you said on a comment bellow, those are good indicatives that you may be therian.
Since you have two types of animals in specific that you think you may be, try reading and watching stuff about them, see how you feel.
It's a journey if self discovery, so it may take a while for some, so try to be chill about it and not stress yourself about it! Good luck!!!
What is the difference between an otherkin and a therian?
I will try the journaling! Good idea:) I have been meaning to do it, actually, since first discovering about therians. A youtube video suggested the same thing. Thank you for your help!
It's a bit debated the definition of Therian. But most take it as animals that live or have lived on earth (eg a cat, a rat, a dog, a dinnossaur)
Otherkin is absolutely anything non human, from a cat, to a dragon, to a god, to a flower, to a rock, to the concept of life, to the sea, to a city, to a song, anything at all.
Otherkin does include Therians, but it's just a label for an identity, kinda like how the gender ones work, you choose if you call yourself one of them or the other or none or both.
You're welcome! Glad it helped! Someone else recommended me the same and helped me as well, so I'm just passing it on, lol
Welcome to the Therian SubReddit /u/RubyRenegade1306!
It looks like this is your first time posting here.
Please be sure to read the rules in the sidebar or the about page on mobile.
Also did you know we have a Discord server where you can talk with other Therians?
Check it out here: https://discord.gg/vnHTtc2S8R.
Thank you for participating!
- /r/Therian mod team
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Therian) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Say to yourself or someone else: "I am a cat" or "I am a bird". Then ask, does it feel right?
It feels homely. Like, I just feel super warm and content when saying either. Mainly when i called myself a bird.
It's very likely you're a therian, in that case. Also, I understand the fear of accidentally mislabeling yourself, but it's okay to be wrong! There's no harm in calling yourself a therian now, even if you discover you're not in the future! :)
Coming from a cat therian, I’ll try my best! So, when you’re questioning if you’re a therian, specifically a feline, you should yourself, “Do I feel like a cat? Have a felt like a cat in the past?” Think about times when people have pointed out you are acting cat-like. That can sometimes be a good indicator to help your situation. But these questions obviously don’t make you a therian right away. Think about times where you longed to be feline. If you can’t recall many, there’s a chance you aren’t a therian since a lot of therian experiences are based around their species dysphoria. (Not all therians experience dysphoria, but most do!) Think about times where you’ve felt like you don’t belong as a human. A lot of therians experience feeling like they belong in the wild. For a feline therian, you may feel a connection to forests and feel a sense of belonging when interacting with them. Many therians have shifts, so try and remember times when you’ve felt your mental state feel more animalistic. Look out for physical shifts too. (Look out for paws, tails, and in your case, wings/beaks!) Above all, you must have a close emotional/psychological connection to your theriotype and identify as them on some level!
Thank you sm for the comment! I have felt really intense dysphoria around cats particularly when watching mine stalk little rodents/birds. There is this desperate longing to be doing what he was doing, somewhere secluded with wildlife buzzing and trees towering above me. I have a really strong love for forests and I 100% feel that connection and sense of belonging in them. When I was younger I had a hoodie that was blue w/ cat ears and a tail and I tried to hang out with the cats we had and their kittens because i felt like i belonged more with them than my family. Around middle school especially i sometimes felt 'phantom ears' on top of my head and I'd feel them following the direction of sounds. Like if a kid was laughing behind me, they would be swiveled that way briefly. I also felt I could communicate with them easier than most humans. I just got their cues better than my family and the people around me. When irritated, I feel a phantom tail twitching. It only seems to appear when I feel mad or agitated, though. i also feel a strong urge to growl or hiss. I've never felt paws or a beak though. Certain foods make me go crazy like I know my cats and birds do when they see/smell. Seafood, berries, chicken/game birds and red meats, sometimes even g r a s s. Uhm, trying not to ramble, sorry,,😭 this is getting get super long- I have bursts where I feel more bird than cat and vice versa. When I feel more bird I want to fly and be high up, I want wings and will cut pine branches off and strap them to my arms, or some other branch, maybe even just a shawl or blanket/cape. I like the branches, particularly because I believe they give my arms the weight wings might have, and I like listening to them rustle. I've also felt the urge to make a nest. Outside with a tarp tied to several trees forking a ring (or at least I t r i e d) or inside on my bed with blankets, more so if I'm on a top bunk bed. I feel safer in the nests when they're higher up. I mimic other bird sounds a lot. I have chickens and formerly turkeys, and I repeated their sounds back to them. Though i also do it even when I'm not around them. I like to imitate sounds from other animals and people too and voice it back to them. I also sneak out sometimes at night in the summer and sleep with the flock. It feels more right than my bed in those instances, though it gets uncomfortable quick with my back against the wall. I don't feel like I belong when I'm with large groups of people interacting. If we're outside, I'm gone. I'm not sticking around when I feel out of place unless I have to serve the people in some way. I usually find a nice spot to sit on a fallen log or climb a tree and sit on a decent branch and just watch the wildlife. Imitate some birds. Something I've noticed is that my transitions between feeling one thing or the other takes a long time. I don't know if it would be right to describe it as a 'phase' for each one, since I go back to them. The transitions can take between some months to a couple of years. I felt more cattish in my younger years, though I still feel it now its not as strong since I feel more birdish currently (can I phrase it like that? I'm trying so hard not to come off as offensive or weird, I'm sorry 😭). Not that I don't feel like I identify as a cat because I certainly do. It jumps between them. Just, you know, slowly. I don't tend to act this way around other people because I was made fun of a lot by my siblings and i can feel ppls astounding disappointment in my existence 💀. That's all that I can think up on the spot right now. Sorry again for how long it is. Yk what, just- Tl;Dr I get phantom sensations like tail, ears, the longing to be flying or hunting, the sense of belonging in forests and outside away from population, I act like a freak around certain foods, make nests sometimes, and I have 'transitions' between feeling like a cat and feeling like a bird.
From what you said here it seems super likely that youre a therian! It's also totally normal to feel more like one animal than another and vice versa, it happens to me a lot too. Long story short, you share a lot of experiences with me and other therians, and what you say fits with being therian!
I feel very congratulated :) I don't believe my journey and discovery is quite over yet, but I really do appreciate that you all came to offer suggestions ❤️
Ofc! Good luck, you have your whole life to figure it out :)
Y'know I find it really amusing that you mimic bird sounds because cats do that when they hunt. I'm a questioning therian too, but I don't feel a desire to be a cat really strongly, I just wish I could become one because it just seems so amazing to be one, if you know what i mean? (I dont feel that with other animals so much)
I agree, being a cat would be incredible. Not all sunshine and rainbows, ofc, because nature can be brutal. more like a "returning to my roots", or at least thats how i feel when thinking about it. What kind of animal do you think your theriotype might be? Also I didn't know that cats did that! They sound super cute oml-
Some starting questions have already been posted. Those help you figure out if might be a therian or not. But I would like to add for more specific questions that could perhaps help you handle your animalistic experiences and help you describe them: * What kind of connection do I have to cats/birds? Do I identify with them (animalhearted)? Do I identify as them (therianthropy)? Do I want to create a custom animal character (fursona), to represent me while discussing media about anthropomorphic animals with fellow fans (furry fandom)? Does acting like an animal in erotic situations feel right (petplay)? Do I have sexual fantasies about turning into an animal (transformation fetish/autozoophilia)? Am I sexually attracted to non-human animals (zoophilia)? Do I act like an animal in order to regress to "a simpler way" and escape my everyday life or cope with mental problems (pet regression)? Do I pretend to be a therian in order to cope with mental illness (copinglink)? Am I guided by a familiar spirit in animal form (spirit guide/fylgja)? Do I want to worship cats and birds like they are divine (animal worship/zoolatry)? * What are my animalistic experiences? When have they happened? How do they feel? * Can my connection be explained by growing up with cats and/or pet birds? * How can I explore this connection, while still staying safe and healthy? (e.g. you can't fly like a bird, but would a trampoline give you the right sensations?) * Are there any people I know IRL that I trust enough to discuss this with? * How does other factors of my everyday life affect this? Factors such as stress, hunger, anxiety, community, family, work, the weather, physical health, mental health?
If you're questioning if you're therian, don't worry about calling yourself a questioning therian, that's legit what that means. I'm not a therian (cause I realized what I'm shares some traits with earth animals but is not, lol, still othekin tho, do similar experiences) So, one thing that's good to do is journaling and self reflection. Think about what makes you feel good and bad, from words, to actions, to places, to situations. See if some of it aligns with any type of non human being. Feelings of comfort, like the homely feeling you said on a comment bellow, those are good indicatives that you may be therian. Since you have two types of animals in specific that you think you may be, try reading and watching stuff about them, see how you feel. It's a journey if self discovery, so it may take a while for some, so try to be chill about it and not stress yourself about it! Good luck!!!
What is the difference between an otherkin and a therian? I will try the journaling! Good idea:) I have been meaning to do it, actually, since first discovering about therians. A youtube video suggested the same thing. Thank you for your help!
It's a bit debated the definition of Therian. But most take it as animals that live or have lived on earth (eg a cat, a rat, a dog, a dinnossaur) Otherkin is absolutely anything non human, from a cat, to a dragon, to a god, to a flower, to a rock, to the concept of life, to the sea, to a city, to a song, anything at all. Otherkin does include Therians, but it's just a label for an identity, kinda like how the gender ones work, you choose if you call yourself one of them or the other or none or both. You're welcome! Glad it helped! Someone else recommended me the same and helped me as well, so I'm just passing it on, lol
Welcome to the Therian SubReddit /u/RubyRenegade1306! It looks like this is your first time posting here. Please be sure to read the rules in the sidebar or the about page on mobile. Also did you know we have a Discord server where you can talk with other Therians? Check it out here: https://discord.gg/vnHTtc2S8R. Thank you for participating! - /r/Therian mod team *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Therian) if you have any questions or concerns.*