Special connection with animals

After I started to practice meditation and the Dhamma, I had some very unusual situation with animals, receiving a lot of kindness from them, I was never very "popular" with cats and dogs and it completely changed, more than once cats (very affraid of strangers) came to me in a lovely way, also I had crazy situations with moths that if someone told me I would probably not believe. So 2 questions I would like to ask: Is there any Buddhist explanation for that? I know Buddha had a special connection with sentient beings, but he was a Buddha!! Does anyone had a similar experience?