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?
I had a similar experience when I wrote a program that would kind of simulate the experience of past lives that the Buddha talks about.

It randomly distributes your previous births
around various kinds of beings into the distant
past:

+--------------+------------+------------+------------+
|    Being     |    Born    |    Died    |    Age     |
+--------------+------------+------------+------------+
|    adult     | 1983-07-13 | 2014-08-16 | 31.1 years |
|     crab     | 1979-08-02 | 1983-07-13 | 3.9 years  |
|     crab     | 1975-06-23 | 1979-08-02 | 4.1 years  |
|    insect    | 1974-11-12 | 1975-06-23 |  7 months  |
|     worm     | 1970-05-15 | 1974-11-12 | 4.5 years  |
|    insect    | 1969-06-21 | 1970-05-15 | 11 months  |
|     worm     | 1963-11-23 | 1969-06-21 | 5.6 years  |
|     crab     | 1960-01-17 | 1963-11-23 | 3.9 years  |
|    insect    | 1959-10-06 | 1960-01-17 |  3 months  |
|    insect    | 1958-10-29 | 1959-10-06 | 11 months  |
|    insect    | 1957-09-30 | 1958-10-29 | 1.1 years  |
|    insect    | 1956-03-17 | 1957-09-30 | 1.5 years  |
|    insect    | 1956-02-02 | 1956-03-17 |  1 months  |
|     worm     | 1951-02-19 | 1956-02-02 | 5.0 years  |
|    insect    | 1950-09-03 | 1951-02-19 |  6 months  |
|    insect    | 1950-03-03 | 1950-09-03 |  6 months  |
|     crab     | 1946-02-13 | 1950-03-03 | 4.1 years  |
|    insect    | 1945-07-20 | 1946-02-13 |  7 months  |
|    insect    | 1944-02-10 | 1945-07-20 | 1.4 years  |
| invertebrate | 1941-11-27 | 1944-02-10 | 2.2 years  |
|     fish     | 1937-03-23 | 1941-11-27 | 4.7 years  |
|     crab     | 1933-03-01 | 1937-03-23 | 4.1 years  |
|     worm     | 1928-01-08 | 1933-03-01 | 5.1 years  |
|     fish     | 1923-05-09 | 1928-01-08 | 4.7 years  |
|     frog     | 1913-06-21 | 1923-05-09 | 9.9 years  |
|    insect    | 1912-07-23 | 1913-06-21 | 11 months  |
|    insect    | 1912-03-05 | 1912-07-23 |  5 months  |
|     crab     | 1908-03-29 | 1912-03-05 | 3.9 years  |
|    insect    | 1907-07-22 | 1908-03-29 |  8 months  |
|    insect    | 1907-05-01 | 1907-07-22 |  3 months  |
|     worm     | 1901-11-04 | 1907-05-01 | 5.5 years  |
|     crab     | 1897-10-15 | 1901-11-04 | 4.1 years  |
|    insect    | 1896-08-27 | 1897-10-15 | 1.1 years  |
| invertebrate | 1894-07-01 | 1896-08-27 | 2.2 years  |
|     fish     | 1889-11-05 | 1894-07-01 | 4.7 years  |
|    insect    | 1889-06-24 | 1889-11-05 |  4 months  |
|    insect    | 1887-07-26 | 1889-06-24 | 1.9 years  |
|    insect    | 1887-04-25 | 1887-07-26 |  3 months  |
|    insect    | 1887-04-14 | 1887-04-25 |  11 days   |
|     crab     | 1883-03-29 | 1887-04-14 | 4.0 years  |
|    insect    | 1882-06-26 | 1883-03-29 |  9 months  |
|     fish     | 1877-11-02 | 1882-06-26 | 4.6 years  |
|    insect    | 1877-10-11 | 1877-11-02 |  22 days   |
|     worm     | 1872-05-09 | 1877-10-11 | 5.4 years  |
|    insect    | 1869-08-21 | 1872-05-09 | 2.7 years  |
|    insect    | 1868-07-29 | 1869-08-21 | 1.1 years  |
|     worm     | 1862-12-31 | 1868-07-29 | 5.6 years  |
|    insect    | 1862-08-05 | 1862-12-31 |  5 months  |
|     dog      | 1854-09-09 | 1862-08-05 | 7.9 years  |
|     crab     | 1850-09-12 | 1854-09-09 | 4.0 years  |
|    insect    | 1850-01-26 | 1850-09-12 |  8 months  |
|    insect    | 1849-09-19 | 1850-01-26 |  4 months  |
|     fish     | 1845-01-16 | 1849-09-19 | 4.7 years  |
|    insect    | 1844-10-27 | 1845-01-16 |  3 months  |
|    insect    | 1843-12-05 | 1844-10-27 | 11 months  |
|    insect    | 1843-12-01 | 1843-12-05 |   4 days   |
|    insect    | 1843-07-31 | 1843-12-01 |  4 months  |
|     frog     | 1833-09-25 | 1843-07-31 | 9.9 years  |
|    insect    | 1832-12-10 | 1833-09-25 | 10 months  |
|    insect    | 1832-05-11 | 1832-12-10 |  7 months  |
|    insect    | 1831-10-26 | 1832-05-11 |  7 months  |
|    insect    | 1831-04-21 | 1831-10-26 |  6 months  |
|    insect    | 1831-02-20 | 1831-04-21 |  2 months  |
|     crab     | 1827-01-19 | 1831-02-20 | 4.1 years  |
|    insect    | 1826-04-27 | 1827-01-19 |  9 months  |
|    insect    | 1825-07-13 | 1826-04-27 | 10 months  |
|    insect    | 1825-03-07 | 1825-07-13 |  4 months  |
|    insect    | 1824-12-30 | 1825-03-07 |  2 months  |
| invertebrate | 1822-10-15 | 1824-12-30 | 2.2 years  |
|     crab     | 1818-10-22 | 1822-10-15 | 4.0 years  |
|    insect    | 1818-05-01 | 1818-10-22 |  6 months  |
+--------------+------------+------------+------------+


But what I found was that after considering this table of
past lives, I would see an insect landing on my face
(trying to collect water, I guess)
and I would instantly think
"this is what I may be born into" rather than
"what an annoyance this is."

So I think this kind of experience has to do with the Buddha
wanting you to view every kind of sentient being the same as
any every other kind of sentient being.

This is contrary to what we tend to do, which is separate
beings into various kinds of classes of beings, some of which
are acceptable to kill with a fly-swatter and others, which
aren't.