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Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!

These are some of the anthropomorphic creatures you may see this weekend, as the San Jose Convention McEnery Center hosts Further Confusion — aka FurCon. The annual burst of creativity and self-expression is among the largest events in the world celebrating the furry fandom, and its participants don costumes representing a vast array of animal-inspired personalities, or fursonas.

Not only does the gathering provide a welcoming space for 3,000-plus like-minded people to socialize and attend art shows, panels and seminars, it also benefits a worthy cause each year. This year’s beneficiary? The no-kill cat rescue shelter Nine Lives Foundation in Redwood City.

Now that’s something all of us — furry or not — can get behind.

FurCon runs through Monday. Day passes start at $35 and are available at www.furtherconfusion.org.