#feline therian vocals

[amr-alterhuman]

Meow I wanted to share

[edraculation]

Purring tutorial!

(pt: Purring tutorial! /end pt)

i've seen a few fellow feline therians asking for purring help, so here it is!

press the tip of your tongue to the inside of your front two bottom teeth and then slide it down until you can't anymore*. close your mouth almost all the way but leave at least a tiny opening or it won't work. make sure the back of your tongue is slightly touching the back of your upper pallet and breathe into your mouth. if it doesn't work or you want a different frequency of purr, try adjusting your tongue, changing how much of a gap you left between your lips**, or changing how hard your teeth are pressed together.

*how loud, quiet, chirpy, breathy, or growly your purr is mostly depends on how far down your tongue is. if you want a quieter, breathier purr try only bringing your tongue down half way. if you want a louder purr, bring it all the way down and even slide it as far back as you can.

**to get the gap size i've found works best, make small duck lips (?) and squeeze your teeth together. (this also clears congestion lmao)

hope this helps, catkin friends :3

(edit: made screen reader friendly)

[drifty-draws]

reconnecting to therianthropy ideas

hello y'all! first post! so recently i had a friend ask me how they can get reconnected to therianthropy, so i made a list and i thought i'd post it here!

-take walks in the woods or wild space -listen to a stream running while sleeping -sometimes when i sleep, i curl up into a ball on top of my covers -watch documentaries about your theriotype -go swimming in a lake and play on the shore if you have an aquatic theriotype -listen to your theriotype’s vocals -eat meat, if you’re a carnivore, or eat a salad if you’re a herbivore -take a cold shower and pretend it’s a waterfall -i’m dragonkin and being on the prow of a boat feels an awful lot like flying, but other options are standing facing the wind with arms outstretched, watching flying POVs with a fan pointed at you, and daydreaming, i guess -make a mask out of cardboard or buy a base (it’s okay if you can’t!) -lay in the sun outside -play with a pet, if you have one -if you have a lupine theriotype, play Wolfquest 3 Anniversary Edition on Steam. i’ve heard it has amazing graphics and hunting! -chew on something rubbery. i have an inflated rubber egg that i love to chew on -make a tail out if yarn. it takes a LOT of time and effort, but it feels good once completed -put glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling to simulate the night sky -watch Wolfwalkers, Brother Bear, Nimona (all relate to shapeshifting into a creature) -read Warriors if you have a feline theriotype -read Nat. Geo. magazines and articles -i like wearing sunglasses on my head because it feels like i have ears, but you could also wear a hat or a headband -draw your theriotype -if you have a nocturnal theriotype, try pulling an all nighter (if your parents will let you) -try hunting one of your stuffed animals (close the door in case you shift -climb a tree! -look up videos on how to get a shift by meditating (i personally don’t meditate but i’ve heard it works) -if you’re home alone, put a bowl of water or soup on the floor and eat/drink it like your theriotype would -if you can, try to get a tag to hunt something for real! when i hunt, it really connects me to nature (if you can’t, don’t sweat it) -go on a hike and try to act like your theriotype -make a den in your room or backyard -paint rocks or shells -decorate your room to match your theriotype -do quads, if your body allows. don’t worry about having the perfect form or jumping high, just have fun! you feel more natural the more you do it (i find going up stairs or uphill to be easiest) -find alterhumans in your area and make a pack -look at therian boards and concept art on pinterest -make a paw imprint in clay then hang it up -make a hidden therian/otherkin symbol in your room

thanks for reading my ramble! if you have more ideas, please feel free to comment!

stay wild 🐾 -drifty

[rayray-wild]

feline therian tips!

use a blanket for phantom tail if you dont have a tail!

do makeup to make yourself look like your cat type! (you can put pink or black on your nose, black on your upper lip, eyeliner, contour, etc)

watch old disney movies! they animate cats so well! i love lion king personally

go out and interact with nature and other animals! vocals are really useful for this, i learned cat body language and vocals to communicate with my cats even before i figured out i was a cat therian. chitter at squirrels, meow at cats, climb rocks and trees!!!!

do your hair in cat ear buns! i love this one, you can look up a tutorial for cat ear buns and theyre super cute and give a feeling of more natural ears

walk digitigrade! i like walking on my toes already because im autistic, but if i bend my legs a little bit while i do so its really euphoric, just make sure not to do it for too long since it might start hurting

sleep and stretch like a cat! curl up, stretch out, you can even loaf!

[bizarreaizen]

how i connect with my kintypes !! ☆(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ* /gen

1. floor beds !! [it really helps me connect with my therian kintypes, and makes me feel like i am that animal when laying in my floor bed !!] (✪ω✪)/

2. eating foods my kintypes likes !! [examples would be fish, vegetables, fruits, and meat, i try to eat meat and fish raw but in a safe way of course !! such as sushi or different dishes that have raw meat !!] (≡^∇^≡)

3. copying my kintypes mannerisms !! [not just how they walk but also how they eat, sit, sleep, and communicate with other creatures, still working on my vocals tho !!] ヾ(＾-＾)ノ

4. learning more about my kintypes !! [watching videos and reading more about my kintypes is a really great way to feel more connected to my kintypes !!] (=^･ω･^=)

5. connect with my actual kintypes !! [what i mean is since one of my kintypes is a cat, i will often sometimes communicate with cats and felines around me and really try and understand them and so far they've understood me, it really made me feel like i was one of them !!] (ˊ˘ˋ*)

how do you connect with your kintypes ?? any tips or advice on how to better connect with your kintypes ??

[multiplicity-positivity]

Shoutout to orange cat headmates!

(Image ID in alt text)

Headmates can come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and species! Whether therian, otherkin, nonhuman, furry, fictive, or anything else… here’s to all the orange cat headmates out there!

We want to remind you that you are capable, clever, inquisitive, and unique! And you are beloved and cherished not only by your system, but by the plural community! We are so very happy to have you here!

Please don’t be afraid to be yourself! From whiskers to paw pads, nose to tail, you deserve to be proud of and vocal about your feline identity! We hope that you can surround yourself with folks who love and care about you. Thanks so much for reading, and take care!

(Image ID:) A pale orange userbox with a cluster of multicolored flowers for the userbox image. The border and text are both dark orange, and the text reads “all plurals can interact with this post!” (End ID.)

[monsterkin-culture-is]

I recently realized I'm a therian but I can't pin down what my theriotype is. I think it's a canine but it's all really muddled. Like at first I thought cat because of my sounds but my tail is definitely more canine. I also get the urge to howl but not bark. I yip, purr, chitter all sorts of sounds but not bark. I'm just so eager to figure it out but don't really know what to reflect on in order to do that.

Hiya!! I'm sooo sorry this is a late response!! I'll split this into 2 parts to at least try and keep this ramble on track: tips on finding potential kintypes & then some species I personally think you might be. Sorry if this is a little disjointed, I've written it across a couple days.

Tips On Finding Kintypes:

Sorry if you've seen a few of these before!

Watch nature documentaries or clips/videos of your species. See if it feels like you're looking in the mirror. You can imagine yourself as that species in its surroundings or living amongst them. Also it's an easy way to learn more about them!!

Try out gear of your species. This isn't my fave because it could be a bit pricey but you can always DIY it! It's a way to test out what limbs/parts feel right on you. You can probably dye fur to a more fitting colour afterwards if it's the wrong species, or re-sell them. Halloween is coming up so that should make it a little easier.

Learn the vocals of kintypes. You don't need to get it perfect but 'singing-along' with your species might help you determine your kintype. It also may help you distinguish between similar vocals.

Use the label. Spend a week or so using the label & envisioning yourself as each kintype. The only way you'll know if you feel comfortable being that kin is... to be it! I think the goes for most labels.

Get creative with your kintypes. Another way to test what you connect to is to make spotify playlists or artwork relating to your kintypes.

Potential Species:

Based on your vocals alone and the fact you were kinsidering felines beforehand, I would've suggested Cheetah. They're one of the few big cats that can purr and often communicate in a sort of yipping noise, though it's called 'chirping' officially. Aster's fun fact of the day is that any feline can only purr or roar, never both 🤓.

Otherwise I would also say a Fox is a high possibility. They've got the correct vocals (though they maybe more yowl than howl), and they have the dog-like tail. Even if you don't feel a connection to the traditional red fox's appearance, there are also Silver Foxes & Arctic Foxes.

Now those are out of the way, onto more canine species! Wolves are obviously the first pick when you mention the howling. I don't know how new you are to the community to please forgive me if I'm explaining stuff you know but there's actually a term called "Cladotherian." It's when you're kin of a whole section of animals. E.g if I were Cladotherian of all bigcats I'd be a lion and a tiger and a cheetah. So maybe wolf Cladotherian is a possibility?

Thinking about the yipping instead of barking, my personal top pick would be African Wild Dog. They make very high-pitched yipping sounds to communicate but they also howl to find pack members, though these howls are shorter than a wolf's. My second pick would be maned wolves as they do the similar yipping but I know less about them unfortunately!

I hope some of this was helpful! Let me know if you figure it out!

[achillez-on-pawz]

Tips on how to find your theriotype: May not be accurate.

Hi. If you've ever seen any post of mine, you'll know that I may have an upwards of 4-5 Theriotypes. Domestic cat clado, red fox, golden tiger (*), and unknown domestic dog.

I will put everything else under the cut, because I don't want a huge text post to absorb everyone's dash.

I awakened as a tiger (*) mainly after a conversation with a friend. They sent pictures of golden tigers and a liger, and after seeing that, I got a feeling in my chest. Resonance.

It feels like a deep hit, almost heavy and thick, right under where my heart is, center of my lower chest.

After some research, although, not much, (I'm studying for a Spanish exam), I can say with like, 60% certainty, that I'm most likely the previous animals mentioned.

But how did I come to that so quickly?

If you're like me (impatient), you probably hate the unknown feeling sitting inside you, like uranium in the snow /ref.

Well, here are some tips.

Write down your feelings (or do the equivalent) Writing down what you feel, feelings associated with your unknown self, can really help. Here's what I said in an audio log of my tiger/liger exploration. "It feels...super big. Feline too. My paws are HUGE.[...] it feels almost lazy? Like, I could knock you over with so much ease, but I just don't feel like it. [...]connection to water. Lounging in the sun." This, combined with my emotional/physical reaction to ligers/golden tigers is what lead me to very shallow research. I would also like to mention that placeholder theriotypes are a-okay. You're still figuring yourself out, and if labels help, feel free!

Measure your emotional reaction. This makes sense, if you're spiritual or a physical therian. (Note that I'm physically Aziraphale, and such, my knowledge on physical therians may be incorrect or limited) You will have emotional or physical reactions to your theriotype. I cry when I see myself. I may also do vocals involuntarily, and may do quads. These are both physical and emotional reactions.

Research! Light research is better than no research. And with more research, you can find and place your feelings more accurately. Going on blogs for that animal, Wikipedia, Reddits for that animal (if there is one), and veterinary websites are very good places to start.

Shifts. Write down what you feel, if you have physical, mental, vocal, or phantom shifts. These could help. For example, when I have a fox shift, I feel playful, fluffy, small, and my paws feel petite.

All in all, take your time. I remind myself to go slow. It's not the end of the world. Placeholders are okay! Just make sure to update yourself once you've put more time into it :D This is just what I do. I've had a therian journal for a longgg while. Around 2-3 months. It helps to write down what you feel. Just know that whatever happens, your identity being therian or not, you're valid <3

[starscatteredsky]

sorry to ask but could you please give some like. cat/feline therian tips?

tips for cats!

pt: tips for cats!

practice quadrobics!

make/commission a therian mask!

tail/ears/paw gear!

make yarn tails!

practice cat vocals!

get/make cat toys to play with! easy self made ones can be as simple as tinfoil balls, or as creative as homemade feather toys!

snack on things like tuna and other canned fish!

take biiiiig naps in sunbeams, or just enjoy sunbeams in general

catear beanies!!

be playful and mischievous!

”knead” or massage pillows/blankets, or important belonging of yours! (it’s a cat’s way of claiming something as it’s own!)

wear “claw gloves”

practice climbing, and avoid swimming (unless your cattype likes water!)

affectionate headbumps!

pouncing!

-👾

we have lots of cat alters, happy to help!!

Requests open!!!

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Before you interact: We are pro mspec gays/lesbians, anti endo/tulpa "systems", enjoy MCYT/DSMP, pro self diagnoses with extensive research, multiple alters are punks/ anarchists"

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[edraculation]

Simple hissing tutorial!

(pt: Simple hissing tutorial! /end pt)

dedicated to @nox-does-stuff :3 thanks so much for the ask, i hope this is what you were looking for !

bare your teeth*, (gently) bite down on the sides of your tongue, and then breathe into your mouth. it should work no matter how you interpreted these instructions, but if it's not working try adjusting your tongue a bit or breathing harder :)

*i recommend doing it scrunched-nose style, you technically don't have to but it works a bit better and also looks like the biological cat angry face!!

go make noises therifolk!!

(edit: made screen reader friendly)

[nonhumanwithin]

; okay I already sent an ask like a week ago or smth so sorry if this is like- so soon lol. But those answers were really helpful ( /gen ) and I've done more thinking ( a painful amount of thinking istg /lh ) and also found / joined some other groups, blogs, etc .. I also had some experiences that changed some thoughts on my identity lol. But enough rambling I do have a couple more questions but yh !! Sorry if I'm being terribly annoying haha :'] ( hoping I use all these terms right !! I've seen them used loads but yk, haven't used them much myself hssbsvsus )

; 1. can one be, say, a fox therian but also felinehearted / cathearted in some way ?? ( as in identifying as a fox but identifying with cats / felines, if I've got those terms right ) Would those be " contradictory " or is there yk a separate more specific term for it ??

; 2. would being hamsterhearted but not being a hamster therian per say be alright ?? I haven't seen anything against it, but I still want to ask an clarify yk .. !!

; 3. going off the last one, I usually only see therians identifying as cats, dogs, wolves and maybe foxes ( nothing wrong w that ofc !! ) and never really things like insects, rodents or sea creatures ?? Is there any specific reason for this or is it more of like .. It's js hard to see yourself in animals like such, or ppl don't even consider them bc yk- oh tail I'm definitely a dog and not like a blue tongued lizard or wtv yk ? Other animals js aren't immediately thought about .. Idk I'm curious !! /nm

; 4. Is fictionkin / hearted a commonly disliked term or like, js debated lots ?? I've js seen a lot of discourse on it, and some therian and otherkin spaces rejecting them, whereas others accepting ?? Obviously this is discourse I'm used to being nuerodivergent and queer, etc, and constantly being invalidated, etc .. and I'm still making my own decision on this, but it's still like yk " oh wow " to see lots of ppl hating on a term I was gonna identify w ?? So what's the kinda common stance on the terms ?? /nm ( should I not publicly display being / questioning being fictionhearted ykwim .. :'] )

; 5. another thing related to the hamsterhearted thing ( sorry ), is it " normal " or common to feel like .. Idk like the animal is family to you ?? Not even js " yh they're a part of the family " in a pet way but like, IF I was a hamster therian they'd be my siblings yk ?? And I relate to them lots and how they are, and I feel contested w them yk .. So yh, is that a common feeling w being otherhearted ig ??

; so I think the terms I'm gonna use are fox therian, feline hearted and hamsterhearted .. Yh I like those terms .. Like I'm comfortable w them and they feel right for me. Js wanted to say that as a way to idk, say it and mean it lol. :] /pos ( I'm so sorry this ended up being another really long ask HSUSVSH </3 )

Hey, it's not annoying at all :) Also sorry for the late reply!!

You can be any mix of 'kin and 'hearted! It's not contradictory at all. But I think foxes and cats actually makes a lot of sense because they are pretty similar animals in some weird ways, like in their behaviors.

Hearttypes are an entirely separate thing from kintypes. If you are hamsterkin you don't really need to specify you are also hamsterhearted (I mean, you can if you want!) because it's kind of a given that you would feel a deep connection to the animal you identify as! Of course not everyone feels that deeply about their kintype but most do.

Pretty much exactly that. It's easier for us as (biological) humans to connect with animals that are similar to us (particularly other social mammals) or that are engrained in our culture. It's easier to see similarities in them. But I have met a ton of odd critters out there! I've met skunks, sea slugs, spiders, and all sorts of niche mythological creature-kin! They're not as common and maybe not as vocal about it, but they definitely exist.

...Are there people STILL claiming fictionkin isn't a real identity?? Lol. I'd recommend staying far away from those people. I haven't encountered gatekeepers like that in a long time. It's possible they are sticking to a very outdated, closed mindset or learning that from older people in the community. But no, it's not a common thing in my experience, unless the people it's coming from are KFF (kin-for-fun AKA "kinnies" who are misinformed and think kinning is just really liking a character and think if you actually identify as a character you're delusional). I think you're generally fine to be open about being fictionkin/questioning it. No one should be targetting you for just talking about it on Tumblr at least.

I think that is fairly common! It makes sense to see pets that are your kintype/hearttype as family. I felt that way with my dogs too :)

I'm glad you're getting comfortable with your identity! Good luck friend :)

[nox-does-stuff]

What is this theriotype?? A cat??

so I took people’s advice and started a journal of possibly alterhuman experiences, I’m a cat right?? here’s my list rn (current date: 20 jan 23)

feeling that there should be a tail on me (phantom tail?)

randomly purring even before starting vocal practice

feeling like my canine teeth are sharper/bigger when I see birds (phantom fangs?)

feeling like I should have claws when I think about my hands or feet (phantom claws?)

I bit some kid who tried to steal my stuff while shaking my hand lol

looking in the mirror and expecting to see something on all fours

Randomly almost doing quads in public instead of walking even though I don't do quadrobatics

feeling uncomfortable in an area that I’m 99% sure it was an animals’s territory but I can’t avoid if I wanna get to and from school

soo cat? i mean I think I’m a cat, or some sort of feline. I’ve been trying to do cat therian stuff to see if it feels right, and omg, it doesn’t feel wrong!

edit : cat therians and alterhumans in general, does this sound like some cat shit?

[omegapheromone]

I'm always kind of confused by people who just know which animal their misce type leans most towards. I never feel it's very specific for me. I have a lot of canine traits, but I also have a lot of bunny traits (and I fucking adore bunny imagery btw it's not even a misce thing either it's a whole fashion statement), and I also have some vaguely feline traits. If I had to say, I'd probably go with the traditional miscecanis, i.e. dog/wolf/etc-like misceverse, but honestly to me it's never been something I've even felt the need to define.

I also think a part of it comes from trauma bc I specifically relate to neglected/abused scared dogs to a concerning extent, though I don't necessarily identify as one.

Anyhow, all of this is to say that while I acknowledge that a lot of misce & irl omegaverse/omegaverse lifestylers are often also alterhuman/therian/otherkin/etc (and you all are so valid and loved for it!!) I've never felt a deep connection to any psrticular animal (species) and it all of it kind of just falls underneath a wider umbrella of "the omega experience".

This also doesn't mean I DON'T have feral/animalistic traits! I vocalize a lot in varying ways that all would probably fall somewhere under the "not entirely human" category of noises, obviously I nest and go through what I like to call "pseudo-heats", I bite and scratch (especially when having a nightmare for example), and way, way more. It just never really feels like it's coded to any specific animal, if that makes sense? I'm also not like... insecure or upset about it, I'm totally comfortable not having a specific animal as the "model" for my own omega experience. Maybe it's a bit weird for some, but eh. My identity has always been somewhat fluid and hard to pin down anyway, and this might just be another part of that.

[obstructed-birdsong]

So I watched Wolf (2021)...

It wasn’t as bad as I expected.

Movie spoilers ahead in case anyone is planning to watch it

Also make sure to check the content warnings for the movie before watching it because there are some heavy, potentially disturbing topics and imagery. 

I tried to avoid the darker stuff in my review. Warning for brief mentions of violence and trying to “cure” someone of a certain mindset below.

Review is under the “keep reading” because I wrote a lot, focusing on how species dysphoria was interpreted and shown by the film.

When I first heard about the movie and watched the trailer, from the clips shown and the comments I was under the impression that it was about how “love” is a cure for having an animal mindset and that in the end Jacob and “Wildcat” would give up their animality to have a relationship. This, thankfully, was not the case. 

Jacob needed to be free from the asylum whereas Wildcat realized that a human body is not suited for surviving like an animal and remained for the sake of self preservation. They are both correct in this case, wanting to be free but also wanting to live like they should. 

I personally agree more with Wildcat’s choice, as I could not survive in the wild. It is not all bad, having to work for money and live in a house, having a human life. As an independent adult I have the freedom to go on nature walks, hikes and camping trips, experiencing the freedom of the wild while having the security of readily available food, shelter and medicine.

One thing that stood out to me was Jacob’s writing about how the human body feels different, wrong even. I wrote something similar a while back on Therian Amino about my thoughts and experiences, though my own species dysphoria is much milder than what is portrayed in the film.

Judith(the parrot girl) is probably my favorite character, mostly because as a bird therian, a type of parrot specifically, there were some similarities between her character and myself. Her beak mask is somewhat similar to my own, in one scene she is sat “perched” on a structure higher off the ground, preferring the safety of heights. Her feathery cloak thing is something I thought about making, though just feather covered sleeves are way too small to feel like actual wings to me, as I feel my wings are much longer than my arms proportionally. 

I don’t like how it portrayed species dysphoria and animality to a bit of an extreme, with some of the characters at times attacking someone to protect another or in self defense, seeming to not always be in full control of their actions. I feel like that may make some people think poorly or negatively of therians, much like how horror shark movies gave people the incorrect idea that sharks are evil or bloodthirsty, but sharks are no more dangerous than any other large predator. 

The poetic aspects of animality in the movie really appealed to me, as an artist with an appreciation for visual storytelling. Jacob, sleepless and repressing a howl. Laying in the dark, looking at his hands and curling his fingers to look like paws. Running a hand along the bridge of his nose, short, flat and oh so painfully far from being a snout. Walking on all fours peacefully through the leaf litter and soil in the forest.

Talking with Wildcat about wanting to be free, and the camera cuts to calm winter scenery, open space layered with snow, a gentle wind rustling the branches of the tall trees, not a manmade object in sight. Just pure unaltered nature.

Wildcat drawing on her face with a makeup pen, outlining her eyes to look more feline, adding a philtrum, the line between the nose and upper lip on animals with snouts, drawing on whiskers, wanting to at least look partially feline.

The silence from a lot of the characters, relying more on body language and facial expressions, as complex spoken word is something so specifically human, and to be animal is to communicate though calls and vocalizations, scents and subtle posture and expression. 

The casual use of “props” like masks, tails, feather capes, etc, to help ease species dysphoria.

I appreciate that it was not framed as a comedy, or something strange for the point of being weird for entertainment, apart from the Zookeeper character, who I’m sure we all hate, everyone else in the film treated “species dysphoria” and those with it respectfully. It could’ve been used as a mockery but it wasn’t, and I’m glad they didn’t go that path. They really didn’t have to have so many heavy themes though, it was a little tough to watch at some points because of that.

My final thoughts? In terms of how they portrayed therians and otherkin, it wasn’t perfect, but it could’ve been much worse.

I give it a 7/10, points deducted for strong topics making it unpleasant to watch at times.

[caracal-horns]

Figured I might as well make one of these because I'm feeling motivated and I'm aware most of my followers as well as a lot of people on the tumblr community might not know much about me personally!

1) What is your Screen Name/Therian Name?

I go almost exclusively by Gray Pool, in fact that's the only thing I've ever gone by. I think for about a week my username on Therian Guide was CaracalHeart, and people still referred to me as 'Caracal' for a month or so, but that was a long time ago. Gray is fine now.

2) Are you a Standard Therian (one therioside) or Polytherian (multiple theriosides)?

I'm a polytherian. I only believed myself to have one identity for over a year, but something always seemed missing. I was lucky to have stumbled across the right animal in the end!

3) What species is your Therioside/Kintype? List multiple if you have more than one.

My original kin type is a caracal - subspecies unknown. My second kintype is a pronghorn, most likely from Montana or Wyoming area.

4) Are you able to make the vocalizations of your Therioside/Kintype?

I'm able to make almost the full range of noises of my caracal type! However pronghorn don't make that many noises, and the ones they do my human vocal cords are not able to replicate.

5) Are you a Spiritual Therian or Psychological Therian or Both?

When it comes to my caracal type it's very psychologically rooted. I grew up very lonely, and immersed myself in all things feline, constantly role-playing, etc. When I could, I spent as much time as possible with cats. Literally hours per day playing and interacting with them.

My pronghorn identity is probably spiritually rooted, because I've had minimal interaction with them or any other animal like them throughout my life and nothing to suggest that they would be.

6) What is the origin/cause of your Therianthropy? (ex: soul is an animal)

I like to think that my pronghorn kintype is a result of being reincarnated, and my caracal kintype is due to immersion and my brain adapting due to lack of human interaction.

7) How long have you been awakened?

I've known my identity was nonhuman for shit, five or six years but I joined the therian community a little over two years now! (I used to have an account on a starseed forum)

8) What shifts (if any) have you experienced?

Mental

I don't experience mental shifts too often anymore, but they do happen. Mostly when I'm scared or angry, but occasionally they'll just... Appear.

Phantom

I used to never ever get phantom shifts. I don't know why, and for a lot of people they just don't happen, but for a couple months now I've been having horn, hoof, fur, ears, and a strange hump like thing on my back I can only compare to a bison or grizzly bear type of hump.

Dream

I have the occasional dream that requires me to turn into my theriotypes, but I usually won't have one that's like... I am my theriotype in its natural habitat.

Sensory

Don't really get those. Maybe once or twice a while ago, but I couldn't really recount it to you.

Astral/Spirit/Aura

If I have, I honestly haven't been able to tell!

Cameo

Oh, I'm sure I get those a lot. Not so much anymore, but I used to! Whole buncha different animals, wolves, deer, bears.... A lot.

9) How did you discover/conclude that you were a Therianthrope? It’s okay to say you are still learning/questioning.

Well, I've acted cat-like for my entire life. Always been a huge fan of warrior cats, and I would take role playing to the extreme, it felt like it was me, not like I was playing. I've never felt like I fit in with humans either - something was always off. I ended up discovering a starseed forum five or six years ago and made an account there - not having heard of therianthropy, I was convinced I was one of them. That felt wrong though, so I didn't last. But two years ago I joined Therian Guide and all the pieces clicked! I did some really quick research because I didn't want to join without having my theriotype box filled lol, and being a caracal felt so totally right. I've done more research to confirm it since then, but I guess I just got lucky! And as for my pronghorn identity, something still felt missing and I was able to find out that I was one from a documentary! That's a bigger story for another time however.

10) What does Therianthropy/being a Therian mean to you?

I mean... It's a pretty big part of my life. I wouldn't change it for anything. I guess you could say it gives me a connection to something greater, even if it comes with so many downsides. It's a pretty special thing to experience - and yes, I said it. It's special. Does it make us better than anyone else? Fuck no. But it's a unique thing, and we should all be proud of it.

11) If you choose to, share one embarrassing moment due to being a Therian.

Oh boy. This is a tough one. I guess I could say a couple years ago, I was living in my old apartment in New York. For those who ain't familiar, the apartments there are right up next to eachother, save maybe a little side area for garbage or an alley. I was in that area, crawling around on all fours and pretending I was a cat. Next to a bunch of garbage cans. I'm just chilling, doing my own thing, then hear someone gasp and drop something. I look up and it's this poor mailman. I looked pretty weird.

12) What hobbies do you enjoy?

I love art, playing pc or video games, and constantly daydreaming about stories I want to write but never will!! I also love going outdoors and would hike if I could. Oh, and I walk and bike a lot.

Creds to @theriannation, thanks for the great survey!!

[tazzy-mania-tiger-blog]

How I Found My Theriotype

Finding your theriotype, for some, is easy. It’s always been very present, and obvious. For others, while still very much present, theriotypes seem to be less obvious. There often are hints as to what they are, such is in behaviors, feelings and shifts, but it may take some people a while.

Ever since realizing I was a therian, I went through a long process of self-discovery. Much of this self-discovery was trying on various labels that ultimately did not fit. I believe this is why I initially gained a reputation as “changeable” and perhaps less “legitimate” for awhile. The problem was, what I felt, both in shifts and outside of shifts, as well as my behaviors inside and out of shifts, were a wide range of things, that could match many different animals. I knew that I was dog-like, so I looked at canines, and despite even the word “canine” feeling wrong, I still always returned to canines, because that’s what matched everything best. Nevertheless, a few scattered times, I recall saying that I also felt marsupial, but was unaware of any marsupials that seemed to fit. 

I believe the turning point came at a furry convention I attended. I met up with some old friends there, and described my experiences. One suggested canine, but then thought about it again, and suggested thylacine. I had indeed heard of thylacines in passing, but I knew little of them, aside from what I had seen years ago on an “Animal X” show as a child. I did recall being unusually fascinated by them, however. Something did click immediately, but I wasn’t fully ready to accept thylacine as my answer...not just yet!

Research was my next step, and I scoured the internet for facts. I soon realized just how well thylacine matched my experiences! In mental shifts, I tend to be threatened by eyes, even on pictures, so if I see them, I open mouth really wide as a threat, sometimes accompanied by a soft “hiss”. This is typical of marsupial carnivores, including the now extinct thylacine, and is known as the “threat yawn”. I frequently feel I’m more of an ambush predator, stalking prey slowly, which is more typical of felines and thylacines than it is of actual canines. In mental shifts, I have a hoarse short growl or bark, in rapid succession of 4 or 5 times. While there are no existing audio recordings of thylacines, there are descriptions of their vocalizations. One of which, is a “hoarse, cough like bark” that is in rapid succession of about 5 times, and is done while hunting. Another match. I seem to get what I call a “map out” of my phantom limbs, and what should be there when I mental shift. I used to think I was a coyote or a jackal or a wolf, simply because I felt dog-like in appearance. I felt I was tannish in color, with a long, dog-like muzzle and thin limbs. However, the fur felt like it was too short to be a coyote, in retrospect, and I felt like I had too long and thin a tail. Yet, this phantom limb description matches thylacine perfectly. Outside of shifts, I’m known to growl, snarl, hiss, whimper and yes, threat-yawn with a wide open mouth, instinctually. The last of which, is definitely thylacine. 

It’s funny how sometimes your theriotype is extremely “elusive” to you at first, and yet makes so much sense later. This is especially true when the behaviors were present long before ever considering that theriotype! So for those still searching for their theriotype, my advice is to not only take into account commonly seen animals, but also look into lesser known, similar animals. You may find you are also a victim of “convergent evolution confusion” as I call it.