The words 'furry', 'funny animal', 'anthropomorphic' and 'anthro' all mean basically the same thing. Anthros range from four footed critters with a slightly higher than animal intelligence through to humans who appear to be normal but might have slit eyes and cat ears. For furry fans, animals are almost always seen as fascinating and beautiful creatures. Furry fans are usually very fond of animals in general, though this is by no means the be all and end all. The fans often have an alter ego of some kind that is an anthro.
People become furries for a wide range of reasons.
Some, like myself, regard it as a form of roleplaying, and are interested on a range of levels in playing out the animal aspects of their character. Put simply, Silverblue is fun to play, and I like contrasting her meek rabbitish exterior with her confident predator nature. Others use their anthro as a way of expressing themselves, and some just like the idea of looking like an anthro. Still others regard themselves as having an animal side that their anthro represents. It is rare for someone to live a furry lifestyle - that is, to have their furry side permeate everything they do, but this certainly happens.