So the other day, I caught my dog opening the refrigerator with the towel hanging from the handle. I assumed that was a one-time occurrence, but he now does it regularly whenever he is hungry. Guess I have a tiny mastermind on my hands!
What did your pet do that made you realize they are far smarter than you gave them credit for?
I left for a few days, leaving adequate food and water for my cats and someone to check on them and clean the litter box. My younger brother never checked on them. When the litter boxes became too unclean, one of my cats, a feral-turned-domestic, took it upon himself to use the toilet instead. He never returned to utilizing the litter box. When I got home and went to the restroom, he was already using it. Unfortunately, he did not train himself to flush, so my bathroom usually smelled bad until I remembered to check the toilet. Pets are weird.
It’s highly recommended not to teach your cat to flush anyways.
My female spayed cat will occasionally lie on my lower abdomen. She does this on her schedule, and I only recently realised she does it when I’m cramping, unwell, or experiencing an emotional crisis. So her cleverness is recognizing when I need comfort. She exclusively does this with me, not my husband. Despite this, she may occasionally cuddle him.
My male cat did this frequently. I experience a lot of lower back discomfort and cramps at any time of the month. I’m not sure if I was just more comfortable because of my girth, but he’d lay over my lower belly even while I was lying on my side, stretching his arms out over the dip in my waist. It was very soothing. He was the ideal tiny or large spoon.
After my spirit dog died, she used to lay on my pillow with her body wrapped around my head. She understands where the discomfort is and does her best to assist.
I believe they smell changes in body chemistry and simply know. It’s why faking them out to pretend dead for pity never works with cats. They think, “Well, she smells good to me, don’t get this game…”
This is an unclear analogy, but I believe cats think first, then respond (with the exception of the orange single-brain cell), whereas dogs react first, then think. At least this is how my cats and dog function. 
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My dog does this. He knocks his ceramic water bowl off of its mat because it makes a noise when it hits the ground. I went and got him water on demand three times before I realized it.
I tried to teach my dog a few tricks and skills. She simply wagged enthusiastically and didn’t learn them.
My cat, on the other hand, observed the sessions and offered verbal orders to the dog while she demonstrated the exercises herself.
That cat was smarter than most people I knew, including myself.
The same thing happened. The dog never learned a single thing, while the cat now follows a variety of commands.
My dog learns a lot of tricks, but when she forgets one, she simply does them all at once: lie down-rollover-spin around-sit beg-paw-jump-middle-touch and stares at you happily while waiting for her prize.
She started scratching the furnishings. I’d rush over as soon as I heard that familiar sound and take her up to explain why scratching at the furniture is wrong. One day, I noticed her scratching with her head pointed squarely at the entrance. She taught me to come to her when I wanted to cuddle. I’ve subsequently convinced her to use cardboard scratchpads.
To gain my attention, my cat may sometimes scratch the side of my mattress, my computer chair, or a fabric basket. She doesn’t use the scratching ramp I got her and placed it above the fabric bin. She interprets the sound of her scratching as a cue to come demand affection because she knows that I will yell at her to stop.