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Times Pet Owners 'Severely Underestimated' Their Pets' Intelligence
I've lived with cats—because no one owns a feline—most of my life. Some have been very clever creatures while others were real dingbats.
Family members have owned dogs whose talents also ran the gamut.
I don't think we ever underestimated their intelligence. Possibly some overestimation at times.
Redditor SakutoJefa asked:
"Pet owners, what was that moment that made you think 'wow, I have severely underestimated the intelligence of my pets'?"
Rats
"I had a solid plastic pet cage that opened with a sliding horizontal metal grid on top. Over the years this cage had held various animals for various periods of time, including mice and guinea pigs, with no problems. When one of my new rats turned out to have been sold to me pregnant, it became a nursery cage."
"At about 5 weeks old, I separated the babies by sex, and put mum and the baby girls in the main cage with the other girls while the six baby boys stayed in the nursery cage until they went to their new homes."
"These tiny, fluffy baby rats, that had only had their eyes open for about three weeks, worked out that if all of them hung from the grid by their front paws, and swung back and forth in synchrony, they could eventually use their combined weight to nudge the sliding grid along, just far enough to stick a nose through at one end, and escape as a group."
"Best thing is, they were smart enough to escape, but also smart enough to know where their food and drink came from. So, rather than finding an empty cage and having to search for half a dozen tiny escaped rats, I instead discovered several baby rats just chilling out on top of the cage, greeting me and asking for treats. (They could easily get down from there whenever they wanted, either back into the cage or down into the rest of the room)."
"Later on, they demonstrated for me exactly how the escape had been achieved, otherwise I don't think I'd have ever worked it out myself. I am less intelligent than half a dozen baby rodents."
~ ratfancier
Mule
"There was a mule at a barn I worked at that figured out how to open gates and latches, and would break into the feed storage at night. He didn't like getting in trouble for it, so he started letting OTHER horses out."
"SOB would then eat his fill, then relock himself back in his own paddock by morning, leaving the other horses to take the fall. Also he stole and chugged long neck beers if you left them unattended around him."
"Pour one out for Moose."
~ rhinestonecowf-ckboi
Havanese Dog
"My little Havanese, he came out of the vet after a teeth cleaning. The vet said no water for a while. He was groggy and we asked if he wanted a walk or to go home. He turned down the hill towards Riverside Park."
"So we were like OK, let’s go for a walk. He was intent. Almost pulling us down the hill over the pedestrian bridge over the Train tracks and took a left towards the basketball courts and restroom. He pulled us to a water fountain with one of those dog bowl attachments and sat down."
"Looked at us and looked back at it. We defied the vets orders and gave him a little water. He’d only been to that water fountain once, years before, and never from the vet."
"He's got incredible spatial memory we’ve found, he knows the highway exits near his favorite places, he remembers which apartment buildings his favorites of our friends live in, and he’s VERY vocal and communicative of his needs and wants with everything from squeaks, buffs, barks, growls, and chirps."
"He's 12 now, and still going strong."
~ Troooper0987
Tabby Cat
"My mom passed from cancer about 15 years ago. Our cat MAMA (MAMA cat needs to be in all caps because she was BIG MAMA, a 21 pound tabby) would sit on laps in the living room and only ventured to the kitchen to eat from her bowl or to the bathroom."
"She never went upstairs, mostly because she was a portly little soul and because she was 12. She was antisocial with most people and trotted away from everyone but me and my mom most of the time, even hissed and swatted at most."
"Anyway, my mom moved out to my grandma's house to do hospice as things finally got to the end. MAMA walked around meowing at home whenever I saw her there (I moved into Grandma's to help take care of Mom, but would go home to get clothes and this and that and feed MAMA and do the kitty litter) shuffling around at a much faster speed than normal, like she was worried."
"When my mom finally let go, we didn't go home at all that week. My godmother did the cat chores for me as I was saying goodbye. Then we had the funeral, and it was all a blur. I went home that night after days of tears and just pure exhaustion from grief."
"Despite the fatigue, I couldn't sleep. My tear ducts and throat were worn out and had nothing left. Just that wrenching ache of sadness in my gut churning like a washing machine that they don't make any medicine for."
"It was probably about 1 am when I heard MAMA meowing at the door to my Mom's room. Then saw her little bowling ball silhouette at the entrance to mine. She had loafed her way up the stairs for probably the first time in 7 years and half her weight ago."
"She locked eyes with me and stopped meowing, just struggled up to my bed and curled around my arm on my pillow after giving me a little nose boop. Mom hadn't been home in about a month, I hadn't been home in over a week, and it's like she knew my mom was gone."
"There's a a cruel isolation to grief at the loss of a parent. If it's anything like my loss, you see a ton of people all day, but there's a figurative distance between you and your friends and family, and you feel like you're on an island, thanking people on a passing ship for being there."
"When MAMA made her way up the stairs to comfort me, it was the first time I didn't feel alone all day on a day I was surrounded by hundreds of people. I bellowed dry sorrow into her fur. The tearless, echoey sounds you make when you scream at a concert all day. Normally, she would have bolted away at the littlest thing, but she stayed right there until the first lights of morning."
"I decided I'd take MAMA home with me to my apartment after that. She lived another 11 years to be 23! I said goodbye to her a few years ago now."
"She never climbed another set of stairs in her wonderful kitty life. She continued to be mean to almost everyone but me and never sat in anyone else's lap. She was truly my cat. RIP MAMA! You were the best furry friend in history."
~ PM_ME_UR_HIP_DIMPLES
Husky Dog
"My husky mix watches the roads intently, whenever we drive somewhere out of town."
"If I take a different road to get back home, and pass by the turn-off to go on the usual road ... his head WHIPS around at me, from staring at the window, and stares, as if to say, 'HEY YOU MISSED THE TURN BACK THERE !'."
"Cracks me up every time."
"I believe if I drove him 10 miles out of town, and dropped him off (I NEVER WOULD), but if I did, he would have no problem following all of the roads straight back to our house, from memory. He's got a road map in his head, back to our house."
~ tauntonlake
Bantam Hen
"Had a Bantam hen who was kept in the house for a time before being moved outside with the flock. Every time winter came around and it got cold at night, she would start screeching at the door until we let her inside."
"She would get comfy in a little box up high where the dogs couldn't bother her, sleep overnight quietly, and then ask to be let out in the morning. The rest of the flock would huddle up together (cold hardy breed and for some reason would not use their coop), but she was like Why would I do that when the house is heated‽‽"
"She was so smart. Definitely knew her name. Only found an egg from her one time because she hid them so well. Had to give them up when I went to college, and I miss her the most."
~ BassBottles
Border Collie/Husky Dog
"My husband had a dog… she was our first baby. (She was supposed to be mine, but my husband became her person.) She was a border collie/husky cross we think, and was beautiful, smart, well-trained, and fabulous with our kids."
"But she impressed me most with her malicious compliance. She’d started eating what the kids (still tiny back then) would leave on the table. I got mad and told her to stop eating off the table… so she picked up the bowl with leftover mac n cheese in it, put it on the floor, and then ate the food."
"I couldn’t even be mad; she did exactly what she was told."
"She’s been gone for 10 years now. We still miss that girl. Best dog ever, and a great nanny dog with the kids."
~ Icky-Tree-Branch
Cat
"My cat learned she could paw at the phone screen and turn my alarm off. I had been waking up late and not knowing what I was doing wrong until I saw it with my own eyes."
"No one else believes me, but all you had to do to 'turn off' the alarm on the phone screen was tap the 'stop' button."
"Now I have one that makes me do a few math problems to actually shut it off. If she figures that one out I'll just quit my job."
~ EstablishmentTrue859
Dog
"My dog loves car rides and loves driving around our suburb with his head out the window. He realised that if he bolted out the door, I would always come fetch him in the car."
"The little rascal found out the number of blocks he had to run down to guarantee a car ride. Now, every time I fetch him, he waits 4 blocks down the street and will just sit there with a smug look on his face."
~ EeefDoesArt
Cat
"I heard a loud noise from the back of my house and went to check, thinking a raccoon got in the laundry room again. My cat started aggressively herding me the other way."
"Turned out my son had fallen out of bed and hurt himself, and was crying pretty much silently. Kitty got lots of treats that night."
~ Emotional-Cat-5396
Dog
"I had made a sandwich and set it down on the coffee table. My dog was watching me and then started barking and ran to the front door."
"I assumed there must be someone there, so I went down the hallway, and my dog ran back towards the living room. I opened the door, and no one was there."
"Went back to the living room to find my lunch gone andthe dog pretending to be asleep in his bed. He was squinting and would shut his eyes when I looked straight at him."
"I got tricked and robbed by a dog who then had the brains to pretend to be asleep."
"Genius, a thieving a**hole, but a genius one."
~ AdventurousTeaCup
Dogs
"I had two dogs, about 6 years difference in age. The older one would take all the toys/etc from the younger one, then go on her own way to play with it."
"The younger one eventually learned that if he wanted to play with something, he should first go grab a toy that he didn't want, she'd come take it from him, then he would grab his favorite."
"They'd both have what they wanted."
~ 732
Cat
"My cat gets zoomies at night and likes to pounce around on the bed, even when I'm under the covers. So sometimes she'll hop all over me but not really acknowledge my presence."
"Well, one week I was in bed recovering from hip surgery. My cat was doing her usual thing, but this time as she was zooming past, one of her paws grazed my hip."
"She then stopped, turned back around, and started making biscuits where my surgery incision was. After 5 minutes of that, she went about her day."
"That's not the end, though."
"The NEXT day she hopped on the bed, sat on top of me, and proceeded to knead my hip again, exactly where the doctor had made the incision."
"I can't tell if it was sympathy or if she was sending healing vibes. But now I know she's willing to help if she thinks something's wrong. Cats definitely don't get enough credit."
~ Cerulean_Zen
Labrador Retriever Dog
"I taught our Labrador to shut the back door when she came in from the yard. We'd leave the door just barely unlatched so the AC wasn't escaping and she could nose it open and come in whenever she wanted."
"Once she was in, she'd push the door fully shut and go find a human who would have heard the door bang shut so that she could get a treat. We had convenient little treats in candy jars in most of the places people spent time."
"Then she started shutting the pantry or bathroom door, then going to claim a treat from someone in another room."
"I also taught my dog to find my keys for me. Actually, she would go fetch or point to anything I asked for if she knew the word for it or could figure out what we were lazily pointing to, which is why we had convenient treat stashes in case we wanted her to hand us the remote or whatever."
"For about a week, it was great! If I didn't know where I'd put my keys, I'd just ask her 'Where are the keys? Get the keys!' Fell down into the couch? No problem, she'd sniff them out."
"Then she realized there were always keys on the pegboard where I was supposed to be putting my keys, so instead of finding MY keys, she'd just go get any keys."
~ Zealousideal-Rent-77
Amazon Parrot
"A couple of years ago, I got talked into adopting an elderly, arthritic Amazon parrot with chronic sinusitis. It's very much like having a special-needs toddler."
"He was cage-bound for a long time and not well socialized. He only ever said 3-4 words (hello, wow/woo, uh-oh, and bird) but mimics a variety of other bird sounds. He picked me as his personal slave, but also got along well with my husband, although they rarely interact closely."
"Last summer, my husband went on a short trip, and the parrot barely seemed to notice. After my husband got back, we settled in for some food and to chat about the trip."
"The bird was perched inconspicuously next to us. During a lull in the conversation, he made a low throat-clearing sound and then said with perfect clarity, 'Where'd you go?'."
"We both almost fell out of our chairs, but I'm so glad I had a witness, or I'd spend the rest of my life second-guessing what I'd heard. The bird has never said this, or any other full sentence, since then."
~ nrz242
Did you have a pet that turned out to be smarter than it seemed?
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Scott Bessent Blasted Over His Bonkers Suggestion For How To Bring Your Own Inflation Rate Down
Continuing to follow the example of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared on Meet the Press Sunday to blame Democratic President Joe Biden for the financial downturn caused by Trump's tariff fiasco, then lied repeatedly about the state of the economy.
Meet the Press host Kristen Welker played a clip of MAGA Republican Vice President JD Vance telling a conservative audience at a Breitbart News event that Americans owe the Trump administration "a little bit of patience"—apparently while they figure out what tariffs are and how they work since they're rolling back more of them to lower consumer prices despite claiming Trump's tariffs don't affect consumer prices.
Welker asked Bessent:
"Let me ask you, Mr. Secretary, how long do Americans need to be patient? How long do they have to wait for the cost of living to come down?"
Bessent prattled about a piece he wrote in 2024, dodged the question, then incorrectly declared:
"And so across the board, prices are starting to come down. We're having Thanksgiving week. This will be the lowest cost for a Thanksgiving dinner in four years. Turkey prices are down 16%."
Welker corrected his misinformation, stating:
"And yet some prices are going up of course. We have seen prices increasing on staples like coffee, bananas, bacon. Inflation has gone up. It's at 3% now up from 2% in April when the tariffs were imposed."
Bessent replied:
"No, no, no, no, no. They weren't. So inflation hasn't gone up."
Launching into his next rash of alternative facts, Bessent said:
"And Kristen, the one thing that we're not going to do is do what the Biden administration did and tell the American people they don't know how they feel. They are traumatized and—over the Biden inflation."
But from January 2017 to January 2021, Trump benefited from the strong economy Democratic President Barack Obama left him, hovering around an annual rate of 2%. Trump then mishandled the pandemic causing thousands of unnecessary deaths, handing an economic and public health crisis off to President Biden.
President Biden dropped inflation from the pandemic high of 9.1% down to 2.4% by November 2024. Since taking office, Trump's trade wars have raised that figure to 3.0% by the end of October 2025.
Bessent then offered advice for those struggling financially:
"You know the best way to bring your inflation rate down? Move from a blue state to a red state."
Ignoring the lack of awareness necessary for Bessent to suggest people struggling economically just move, his comments were actually false in relation to inflation rates in blue versus red states.
Undeterred by facts, Bessent added:
"Blue state inflation is half a percent higher. And that is because they don't deregulate. They keep prices up. Energy is higher."
You can see his comment here:
According to data compiled by the Republican led Joint Economic Committee State Inflation Tracker, blue California's cumulative inflation rate of 20.1% actually places it in the middle of the pack, not at the top as Bessent suggested.
Deep red Utah, on the other hand, has a cumulative inflation rate of 21.8%.
The big red economic centers of Texas, Florida, Arizona, Tennessee, and Nevada all have higher cumulative inflation rates than California's 20.1%. And the lower-economic-output red states—like Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia—have significantly higher rates.
Traditionally blue states in the Northeast enjoy some of the lowest cumulative inflation rates in the country.
New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania’s cumulative inflation rates are 19.2%. The New England states of Massachusetts, Maine, and Connecticut’s rate of 17.9% place those blue states as the lowest in the country.
Average rates in the red Midwest are around the same as California.
Bessent's lies, misinformation, and denials coupled with his out-of-touch suggestion to just "move" drew backlash.


Near the end of the interview, Welker asked Bessent:
"Isn't the fact that you're rolling back tariffs an admission that ultimately they do drive up prices for consumers?"
Trump's handpicked Treasury Secretary responded:
"Kristen, how much does your arm weigh?"
If you can't dazzle them with brilliance—or just competence—baffle them with bullsh*t.
Lindsay Lohan Is Now Sporting A New Accent—And Fans Aren't Sure What To Make Of It
In a twist freakier than a sequel to Freaky Friday, Lindsay Lohan has debuted yet another new accent—this time at the Fashion Trust Arabia Awards in Doha, Qatar.
Draped in a maroon, jewel-trimmed gown by The New Arrivals Ilkyaz Ozel and accompanied by her husband, Bader Shammas, and their 2-year-old son, Luai, the actress looked serene, elegant, and completely unbothered by the collective whiplash she was about to inflict on the internet.
It all went down when Vogue Arabia posted a red-carpet video—and suddenly, the Lohan Accent Multiverse expanded.
Lohan greeted the camera with a simple introduction:
“Hi Vogue, it’s Lindsay Lohan. It feels amazing to be in Doha tonight. I’m very excited to be here. My family came with me, and it’s going to be a beautiful night.”
With that, the entire internet hit mental rewind: “Sorry… what was that voice?”
Posted three days ago, you can watch and listen to the video below:
Her delivery appears to rise, fall, speed up, slow down, confuse, and then glide through vowels like that one linguistics exam I failed in college. But if you listen closely, perhaps you’ll hear a bit of Long Island—her birthplace—layered with something vaguely Irish, lightly Mediterranean, and possibly sprinkled with Eastern European tones.
Pinpointing a new Lohan accent is like trying to catch smoke.
Fans also took notice of the change:





But is this a Hilaria Baldwin-esque reinvention? Not quite. With Lindsay, accent evolution is practically a seasonal tradition.
Flashback to 2016, during her now-iconic “Lilo lang” era, when she surprised the world with a hybrid accent she described as a blend of multiple languages she had been practicing while living abroad.
You can hear the proof below:
- YouTubeEntertainment Tonight
Since then, the accent has reappeared in interviews, charity events, and casual paparazzi encounters. And as always, the mystery deepened when her father, Michael Lohan, stepped in to clarify. According to him, there’s nothing unusual going on. His daughter simply has a gift for languages and uses it often.
Michael explained:
“Lindsay picks up languages like I pick up a coffee! I’ll be on the phone with her, and I’ll hear her say something in fluent Farsi to a friend she’s with. She’s spoken French, Arabic, Farsi—she’s always played around with languages.”
This matches what Lindsay herself has said.
In an Entertainment Tonight interview, she explained that her accent changes:
“I think when I’m around certain dialects, it changes each time—and you just pick things up along the way.”
Which… fair. Sometimes people travel abroad and only pick up a souvenir keychain. While others, like Lindsay Lohan, pick up a whole new phonetic identity.
It also reflects The Parent Trap star’s life abroad. Lohan has lived in Dubai for more than a decade, having moved there in 2014 after stepping back from Hollywood. Her lifestyle there is intentionally quieter: work-focused, family-oriented, and far removed from the tabloid frenzy of the 2000s.
And honestly? The accent chaos almost makes sense once you remember she hasn’t lived in America since Obama’s second term.
So when she does appear at an event—especially one filled with industry icons like Anna Wintour, Farida Khelfa, Tyra Banks, and Gisele Bündchen—people do pay attention. Sometimes to the dress, sometimes to the company… but, let’s be honest, thanks to the internet, mostly to the voice.
Of course, the timeline wasn’t done with Ms. Lohan and her glow up yet. Not even close:










She also has an evolving professional slate. Lohan is currently developing her own beauty line, following the celebrity-entrepreneur blueprint laid by Rihanna, Hailey Bieber, and Selena Gomez. She said she has been testing serums for her upcoming brand but declined to share a release date.
On top of that, she has a two-picture deal with Netflix after starring in Falling for Christmas and Irish Wish. One of the upcoming films is Our Little Secret, a holiday comedy with Ian Harding and Tim Meadows.
So, yes, Lindsay Lohan is busy. She’s building a brand, raising a toddler, filming Netflix movies, and testing serums. All we can say is: "You go, Glen Coco."
Jameela Jamil Speaks Out Against The Rise Of The 'Aesthetic Of Emaciation' Among Women In Hollywood
Content Warning: eating disorders, thinness as an aesthetic, emaciation in Hollywood
There's no denying that we've been gifted with some incredible music, television shows, and films this year.
But in between the buzz of excitement have been whispers of concern as more and more Hollywood entertainers appear to be changing their appearance, and not for the better or for the healthier.
Typically, these comments of concern center around one of two things, either extreme thinness or needing assistance with fairly basic tasks, like walking downstairs, both of which point to declining health and increased frailty.
But when people comment about this, they're immediately accused of body-shaming the celebrity in question, rather than advocating for their health or expressing genuine concern.
Body positivity and women's rights advocate Jameela Jamil finally came forward to point out this distinction, indicating that there's a big difference between voicing concern about someone's well-being and judging them for how they look.
Jamil explained:
"It's not body-shaming to comment on the fact that there is a rapid rise of the aesthetic of emaciation amongst women in Hollywood."
"Women in their twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties, even."
"All of a sudden, becoming so thin that you can see their ribs, you can see their hip bones jutting out."
"No one's saying they look disgusting... That would be body-shaming."
"What we are commenting on it for is because it's so widespread, it's so extreme, and it's happened so fast."
"And the question is, who is pushing this aesthetic?"
Jamil also touched on the fact that in today's political climate, it's important for women to be able to defend themselves, advocate for themselves, and do what they can do to contribute to positive change. They will not be able to do that, though, if they are too unhealthy and frail to participate.
You can watch the video here:
Jamil discouraged her viewers from calling out specific people or projects causing concern, but some were not shy about pointing out celebrities they were worried about, as well as some projects they felt were potentially promoting eating disorders.
Fellow TikTokers appreciated Jamil's video and shared her concerns.





The last time incredibly thin frames, prominent collarbones, and jutting hip bones were popular and idealized was the late '90s and early 2000s, before the Obamas entered the White House and Michelle Obama promoted healthy and strong bodies.
Some theorized that this was a sign of the political climate and what was to come.





These conversations are tricky and can feel like shaming, but there's an obvious difference between commenting on someone's appearance as "good or bad" and commenting about a person's health based on what can be seen.
Some people are naturally smaller in stature and very lean, but visible bones are rarely a sign of robust health. That needs to be addressed before another generation of girls and young women grow up starving themselves.
Trump Is Now Using His Presidential Sway To Pressure Studio Into Making 'Rush Hour 4'—And, Huh?
President Trump has reportedly pressured Paramount head Larry Ellison to make another sequel to Rush Hour, his favorite buddy-cop movie, as the company looks to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.
The first Rush Hour film, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, was released in 1998, received positive reviews, and made $245 million worldwide. Chan and Tucker returned for two sequels released in 2001 and 2007 respectively.
For years, rumors have swirled about whether Rush Hour 4 would ever get off the ground. Back in 2017, Jackie Chan fueled that excitement when he revealed that a script was already finished. But momentum stalled almost immediately.
Soon after Chan’s comments, Warner Bros. cut its relationship with director Brett Ratner following multiple allegations of sexual assault, accusations Ratner has consistently denied and for which no criminal charges were ever brought.
According to a source with direct knowledge of recent discussions, Trump has personally urged Paramount’s top leadership to bring Rush Hour back to life.
If Warner Bros. Discovery is absorbed into Paramount, it would mark a decisive win for the studio, led by Ellison's son David Ellison, who would have outmaneuvered both Netflix and Comcast in the race to scoop up Warner’s extensive film library and production assets.
In the past, Brett Ratner’s reputational fallout likely kept any Rush Hour revival off the table. But Trump’s continued rapport with the the filmmaker (who made Amazon's recent Melania Trump documentary) could shift that calculus.
Trump has shown an eagerness to resurrect the loud, big-budget action-comedies that defined the late 1980s and 1990s (he has a well-known fondness for Bloodsport, the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme classic).
Additionally, Arthur Sarkissian—best known for producing the Rush Hour films—also heads the production company behind The Man You Don’t Know, a flattering Trump biographical film that debuted at Mar-a-Lago in 2024.
The news was weird... and the jokes came flying.
According to Semafor, which broke the story, "Trump convincing the Ellisons to make a new installment of Rush Hour, whose broad racial humor might have been unwelcome a few years ago (if not much earlier), may be one of the capstones of his cultural influence as president this time around."
"Successful politicians often embrace elements of culture, or ride certain cultural forces to victory," the report notes. But entertainment and culture most often flows against the president once they come into power, not towards them.
As of today, however, it looks as though the project will move forward.
Earlier this week, The Guardian revealed that Ellison and senior White House aides have talked through which on-air figures might be dismissed if Paramount succeeds in purchasing Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent of CNN. Paramount is also expected to emerge as the primary broadcaster for the much-discussed UFC bout that is reportedly being planned for the White House lawn.














