I've always imagined Pokémon to have more intelligence than actual animals. Many of them could equal to humans in terms of that, or perhaps even surpass. Judging from their interaction in anime and manga, their feelings seem to be as strong as people's, and always seem to be aware of what they're doing, who they're talking with, and so forth. They even have ability to understand human language, supposedly, as they always respond to their trainers' commands when battling. Of course, some animals would do the same, but Pokémon seem to be more... I don't know, understandable, I suppose?