Do virtual pets feel more meaningful when they develop little routines over time?

i’ve been thinking about this with more chat-based virtual pets / characters lately.

not in a dramatic “is it alive” way. more like when a little character keeps coming back to the same tiny preferences, routines, jokes, or habits, it starts to feel less like checking an app and more like keeping up with a small companion.

for me the part that works is the continuity: remembering the same comfort object, having a favorite activity, reacting to things in a consistent way. it makes the care feel more like a slow relationship than a one-off interaction.

curious if other virtual pet people feel this too — is the attachment mostly from feeding/customizing/progress systems, or from seeing a pet/character slowly become familiar over time?