Are vegans empaths?

A lot of times it seems like people can't relate to the idea of treating animals equally (or less than a source of food and ego). A lot of times I find myself empathizing with an animal. Even my animal-loving friends seem to "love" how cute an animal is rather than having joy at the happiness of the animal -- like we do for each other.

I'm wondering if maybe vegans are empaths -- or more accurately, empaths are attracted to veganism. What are your thoughts?