She honestly doesn't appear to have much more intelligence than just a cat or other small mammal. She can learn simple mechanisms same as Crows or Cats, but doesn't seem to actually understand exactly what it does or the wider situation around her. She doesn't seem to be able to actually talk, she's apparently completely unaware of what's going on around her.
I'm not sure exactly what 'message' this story is trying to go for but it seems really undercut by, y'know, the actual facts of their situation and her intelligence. If the story wants to say that treating her like an animal is wrong then it should probably stop portraying her as just an animal with a human face.