[dracht]

If I had to take a guess, I'd say parent training. When we see a cute animal, we want to cuddle and protect it like it's a child of our own. People talk to their pets like they talk to babies. Humans, in contrast to most other animals, require a lot of parenting to reach reproductive age. Taking care of a cat or a rabbit hones a decent amount of the skills that are required (later) in life to produce good offspring.