I also like to pull out sweet 'animal-ish' tendencies on my boyfriend - especially when we're cuddling and being sweet to each other. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with this, in and of itself, and he's pulled the 'hyper puppy' routine on me before as well. I also view having a need to do it now and then as being just as normal as wanting to cuddle regularly. We all need love and affection.

What I do think might be a bit worrisome is if you were literally like this all the time, to the extent where it inhibited a lot of normal social interaction. There is a time and a place for everything, after all. And if it comes out to a degree that is a bit much for him, you might want to moderate the habit a bit, but I don't see that as a reason to give it up entirely. Compromise and all that. Your needs matter too.

Oh, I am also a real animal-lover (in the normal way, lol) and enjoyed 'playing pets' as a kid. I was very close to my kitty too. She was my only source of comfort when things went bad, and I really admired her. I have certain other animal-like tendencies, but these aren't as strong as they used to be, and may be a bit less normal than what you're describing here. The two are fairly unrelated though.