Cows.

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While we were trundling along in Mitsi, we passed a field which had cows in it and my Mum said "I wonder what cows must be thinking?" which I replied "Moo".
My Mum asked "What d'you mean?" So I said that they think in "Moos". But do they? And how would we know?

Any ideas?

They probably think in pictures. They probably philosophize less than us and have much more of their attention on the moment to moment of the surrounding environment since they are prey animals. The moos are to vocalize to find each other or when they are overcome by emotion. More like laughing and crying than speech?

I know cows are very intelligent and I have heard of cases wherw quick thinking cows have saved farmers lives.
One occasion... A farmworker was using a big round bale wrapping machine and got himself caught and aas wrapped in with thw bale unable to move or breathe. The cows saw it and ran down to the farm and managed to get the farmers attention (Farmers know their cows) and the farmworker was saved. My brother used to work with cows and they saved him once. He said they were very protective towards those who look after them.

There was actually a course on "animal cognition" when I went to my college, Marymount.

I would bet cows thinking, mostly, about how good the grass is which they had eaten previously. They probably have their "moments," though, like when they think in order to save people.

There is no "carnivorous" nature thinking about obtaining food through hunting other animals.

One of my special interests is interspecies communication. It is very easy to communicate with animals and other life forms. They are as intelligent as we are and often more intelligent than we are. They also have the same concerns about the planet that those of us who care have. They also have social structures and friendship bonds and family units like we do. They are also extremely aware of everything going on in their environments and are also very aware of things going on in the lives of the humans that they are close to and who take care of them as well as the other animals and plants and life forms around them. So they have lots to think and talk about.

I love cows, they are so adorable. c:

Being herd animals, I would imagine they are thinking about the other herd members, and fitting in. They don't have as much as a sense of identity as humans do. Yes, I believe cows are intelligent, but staying with the other cows is a method of survival. Thinking about potential predators, how delicious the grass is, different flavors of grass, if it is really greener on the other side.

My cousin's husband works on a farm, and one of the cows is friendly. She likes to pull people's jackets off, so some of them probably think about what strange creatures us hoomans are.

Bovine is a tonal language. Low pitched, quiet moos mean things like "I'm over here" "Nice day" or "It's about time to go." High pitches and volume are used for "Mom! where are you?" "Wolf!" or "Trail hazard!" Very few cowboys understand even basic bovine, but a few know how to work with the strong social structure of a herd.

However, I do not think that animals think in language. Our language center is located where a Chimpanzee remembers brief images, and they beat us hollow using it in tests.

curious animals, they can ponder over a bike infinitely
or take action

I ride past cattle most non-frosty days, and they are generally friendly and curious, except the herd near the dreaded auction yard, who always avoid people. Still, it is like watching a group of orphans who barely knew their parents, wondering how to grow up. For most of the local farmers, having cows find a hole in the fence leads to an all-day roundup. My friend Don, who learned about working with the lead cow from his dad, used to astound his neighbours, for when his cows got out, they'd come up to his house for a visit.

I find cows are good at “forecasting” weather. If they are standing, it will be nice. If they are laying down, it will rain. Excellent at knowing when to return to the barn too. One office I worked in had a view over a dairy farm. Every day, around three thirty they all headed, in a line, back to the barn.

Temple Grandin's two excellent books, "Animals in Translation," and "Animals Make Us Human," talk about animal cognition. They are great reading for people who love animals.