As much as we would like to attribute human characteristics to our pets, I don't think they think, or if they do, it's very, very little. Mostly they just react, based on instinct and memory of past experiences, which would be based on what they want or need. I know the lines between the above are a little blurred sometimes, but how would we know for sure? I know other animals like apes and monkeys are endlessly studied, I'm just talking about pets. I recall hearing that the parts of the brain responsible for thinking and speech are not in animals, but then again, the brain is still largely not understood. Since animals don't talk, how would we know for certain? A past question by Warren was would we like it if our pets could talk, and if they could, that would answer today's question, too. Until then, they're like small children, we have to figure out what they need based on behavior, and care for them accordingly.