Show me a single source supporting this convoluted claim.
> or at all
That's called anthropomorphizing, as noted in my gp, and it is a different phenomenon from empathy.
> Anthropomorphism (from the Greek words "ánthrōpos" (ἄνθρωπος), meaning "human," and "morphē" (μορφή), meaning "form" or "shape") is the attribution of human form, character, or attributes to non-human entities [0]
"There is a medical condition known as delusional companion syndrome where people can have these feelings of empathy to a much more extreme extent and can be convinced that the objects do have these emotions — but it is much less common than the average anthropomorphizing, Shepard said." [1]
Empathy is an emotional response people have to someone or something.
It is an internal (to the person experiencing it) phenomenon. Feeling empathy does not require the object of the empathy to be intelligent, have emotions, or even thoughts. And it does not require the person experiencing it to believe that the object has the attributes, it does not require anthropomorphizing.
People feel empathy towards all sorts of people, things, and groups.