"Self-proclaimed" is rather redundant - *all* furries are self-proclaimed.
Not that there was ever any clear definition of furry to begin with, but after the alt.lifestyle.furry bunch decided that "a person's 'furry lifestyle' is whatever the person concerned asserts that it is", furry doesn't mean much except some kind of vague interest in animals. Which for some might be only an excuse to find like-minded people for whom looking at fantasy pedo art is acceptable.
Looking at fchan /ah/, I've no idea what animal anthropomorphism has to do with voyeurism, bee stings, diapers, sock bondage (I don't even know what that is), inflation, farting, mummifcation, watersports, amputees, or torture. But then, the lifestyler FAQ also said, "No one has the right to judge whether or not how someone lives their life is better or worse than another; that is simply a matter of personal taste." It's annoying to see how some people in the fandom have taken full advantage of that poorly thought-out philosophy.