My Mom does this wherever she lives. She feeds as well as puts bowls of water for birds and animals. And if there are regular visitors then she talks to them. The trick is to be as natural as possible and consciously avoid threatening tone or body language.

Having watched this since my childhood I too had once befriended, in my case Cows and Sheeps from the nearby fields, while on my daily walks few years ago. I use to sing songs and they use to gather around me. It was so amazing to watch. Afterwards even if I did not sing they use to gather around just after seeing me. The sad part was some of these animals were raised for slaughter and I thought making them believe in humans was not the right thing to do. It use to be a dilemma for me whenever I saw them on whether I should engage with them.

Having communication with animals and seeing them respond back is one of the most amazing experiences. Most pet owners will understand this.