Direct object is the thing being acted upon. In this case, meal is the direct object of the "cooked" verb.
A person can change their opinions/feelings on animals for multiple reasons. For example, they can make friends with an animal or start a relationship that involves no communication (cause animals can't talk) but lots of love. Also, if the animal starts being friendly to the person, there's a high chance that the person may not take their love for granted.
