Instinct

– This may sound a stupid question, but do you ever wonder what Cat is thinking about?
– Of course it's not a stupid question: it is ridiculous. It is a cat. It doesn't think. It's barely awake, most of the time.
– But sometimes, you know, she stares at you, unblinking, rapt in thought.
– I think that is a prelude to falling asleep. Or attacking.  You learn to read these signs in time. Usually following an attack.
– But they must think about something.
– I don't see why. It is merely animal instinct. It is like asking whether you yourself are thinking most of the time.
– Of course I am. Aren't I?
– Hardly. Your brain just trundles along on autopilot. Occasionally, you may actively cogitate over a particularly knotty problem, usually to do with working out what to cook for tea. But the rest of the time, you are not functioning at much of a higher level than the cat.
– That may explain a great deal. Such as why Cat looks down at me as an intellectual inferior.

Ducks.