is an animal also a 'person'?

Question

In this topic I can't find reference to animals. I remember from other lessons that animals normally aren't considered valid when, for instance, using alguien. On the test it's asked about hearing a cat enter the house. Makes me think that hasn't been (explicitly) covered here...

Answer

Hola Robert
The general rule about the personal a with animals says that we use it when we are talking about pets that we consider very close to us; but my personal opinion and practice is that we generalise this "a" with animals really. Even if we are talking about animals that are not ours, more objectively we (or at least me) keep the a. This is reflected in the one sentence used in the quiz using a "cat":
"No he oído al gato entrar en la casa" 
Even if that cat was an outsider, I would still use "al gato".
Saludos
Inma