I think the rabbit was actually a rabbit, but somehow the spirit of the owner was able to come through the rabbit. So it was the spirit of the owner that was being taken care of in the body of the rabbit, but we only saw the spirit not the body. I also think that the mc saw an overlap of body and spirit so although he saw the rabbit as a rabbit he also instinctively saw the spirit of the man as well. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone else, but it's my best guess.
I think the rabbit was actually a rabbit, but somehow the spirit of the owner was able to come through the rabbit. So it was the spirit of the owner that was being taken care of in the body of the rabbit, but we only saw the spirit not the body. I also think that the mc saw an overlap of body and spirit so although he saw the rabbit as a rabbit he also instinctively saw the spirit of the man as well. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone else, but it's my best guess.