So...covert sex. Got it.

I think it's the same energy a lot of furries bring to participation in their community to be honest. I have met a lot of asexual furries who basically just want to be a mascot they just don't have a school or sports team.

That or they want to be a big stuffed toy who can cuddle with friends in a big non-sexual pile. Probably something to do with abstracted intimacy... Something like most people don't look at animals sexually so for some their fursonas are at least as much about avoiding being looked at in a sexualized fashion which they experience regularly out of costume.

Part of my situation being a part of the asexual community back in the early 2000's was a lot of people coming to the concensus strangely independantly that I am some sort of leopard fursona. I went to one con back around 2006 to see what it was about and while the sexual fetish component was present in side booths it doesn’t seem like the costumes themselves are supposed to be sexy - More like individuals become notorious for their personality and confidence through character acting which is something more like mime... So basically just mascotting but doing it to hype your own brand rather than aerving someone elses? I think they definitely are doing it for notoriety, attention and recognition but not quite the sexual kind. The fetish stuff seemed to be about as much of a thing as hentai anime porn and overtly sexy cosplay is to the anime fandom and convention scene.