I'm convinced that housecats, or at least some housecats, understand at least some of what we say, and there are other animals that understand even more.
Accidentally hits submit before I'm done typing
Case in point, this one cat who lives with me seems to understand when she's being told to get down, to get off the counter, to get off the table, to stop doing this, to not drink that, etc etc etc, but that doesn't mean she'll do what you tell her. She makes an affronted-sounding meow when told what to do, and an upset-sounding meow if you pick her up and drop her on the floor. But she is the most vocal cat I've ever met, with different vocalizations for all kinds of different things, like she has her own simple language. She even has a vocalization for "ha ha I got past you and I've escaped through a door you didn't want me to go through," whether that's a door leading outside, or a bedroom she isn't allowed in. She doesn't make it for doors she is allowed through. She has one she makes after she jumps down from somewhere, too, which is how you can tell it's her jumping down and not another cat. And so on. And I kind of wonder if she recognizes phrases by the way the frequency shifts. Like if you were to write a phrase in English in the form of sheet music, translating it to musical notes.
That gives me an idea...
