Mousethief, I will agree with you in that we are definitely a breed apart.

I think we could probably agree that the difference is cognitive thought, and I've always stood by the "Malice implies forethought" standard of thinking.

Man's capacity for evil is inspired by his very talent that sets him apart from the other critters (the ages old tale of "man being able to decide good from evil" comes to bear).

I don't think my cat is thinking anything other than "Wow! Look at what happens to the rat when I swat 'em this way..."