That argument doesn’t explain things like:
furry avatars are almost always cartoon versions of animals, not realistic ones
furries didn’t exist until anthropomorphic cartoon animals became popular (and no, “spirit animals” are not similar)
suddenly ponies became more popular in that sense after a popular cartoon with ponies came out
It’s just Disney and cartoons.
That argument doesn’t explain things like:
furry avatars are almost always cartoon versions of animals, not realistic ones
furries didn’t exist until anthropomorphic cartoon animals became popular (and no, “spirit animals” are not similar)
suddenly ponies became more popular in that sense after a popular cartoon with ponies came out
It’s just Disney and cartoons.