When is a chicken not a pet?

[no_hypocrisy]

3. In the Fifties, my uncle raised and slaughtered his chickens.

His son/my cousin became attached to a particular bird. He was five or six.

My parents came to visit them and there was a splendid meal set out. My parents noticed my cousin/their nephew wouldn't touch his plate. When asked why not, he burst into tears and cried, "That's Henrietta!"

Maybe Henrietta wasn't a pet to my uncle, but he was loved and cherished by his son. And IMO, that's one of several reasons my cousin was a nut job until the day he died.