Do you grieve over the death of a pet like others grieve over the death of a person?

My uncle lost his precious 25 yr old cat last night, and to him that was his little boy. My uncle has never wanted kids, but he loved that adorable cat like he would a child. He’s taken such good care of him and had to give him injections to keep him hydrated and as healthy as possible, and took him to the vet all the time for checkups. He called him “the old man” and “my child” and it’s so damn sad to know Hayes the cat is gone.

I’ve cried over Hayes and he’s not even my cat. What is it about our beloved animals that pulls us in to adore them like children? Why do some of us grieve just as much for lost animals as we do for other humans?

Long live the memory of beloved Hayes!