It's more like a curious, selective infatuation. It's likely directly related to the need the animal has to be near us that draws us to them. It's rather ego driven, I suspect.
Well, the one’s I eat don’t sleep on my bed every night, but the do have big brown eyes that melt your heart....
Perhaps in some cases. However, a lot of altruism and unmet ego satisfactions must enter into loving many animals.
I have a wonderful dog whom I cherish and love. I also have another one who is pathetic and a real pain in the neck, but I love her nonetheless (though nowhere near as much as I love my main dog). And my horse can do nothing in the way of gratifying my ego, as she definitely doesn't love me, alone among all the horses I've had. But nonetheless I love her with the altruistic love of a mother, I pity her, and I do my best for her in all ways. I content myself with small gestures of concern on her part but she does not feed my ego with doglike behavior.