In English, when talking about our pets, we often use "he" or "she" depending on whether the pet is a boy or a girl. For example, when I talk about my cats, I say: "I love my cat. His fur is soft and he is very playful." Notice the use of "his" and "he". You are correct, I feel like referring to a pet as "it" does distance yourself from them. I think that pets are family therefore why distance yourself from them?

If it is a pet you have a family relationship with, normally you would refer to it as "he" or "she." But if it is a goldfish, for example, where the sex is rather indistinct, most people would use "it."

It's not weird at all, Anna. In English, cats, dogs, rabbits and so on are usually called 'he' or 'she' if they're pets. When you go to the vet's, the vet will always use a gendered pronoun. If you know the gender of the pet, you'll always say 'he' or 'she'. If you get into conversation with a stranger walking their dog in the park, you'll wait for a clue from the owner that tells you whether their pet is male or female, and that will tell you which pronoun to use. The owner would be quite insulted if you referred to their darling doggy as 'it'.