The meaning of this one changes most subtlety and profoundly without the cat.
Without the cat the bird is saying that Christmas Ham knows their own naughty/nice status. But in the original it is more likely to mean that Christmas Ham knows Heathcliff’s naughty/nice status because the “he” the bird is mentioning almost certainly refers to the titular character and no gender pronouns have been used for Christmas Ham yet.
This reminds me of Joan of Arc when the inquisitor asked if she was in a state of grace. Answering yes or no was enough to get death. But she deftly handled it the same way that Christmas Ham walks with our notorious ham eater without fear and knowing that they are protected.
The meaning of this one changes most subtlety and profoundly without the cat. Without the cat the bird is saying that Christmas Ham knows their own naughty/nice status. But in the original it is more likely to mean that Christmas Ham knows Heathcliff’s naughty/nice status because the “he” the bird is mentioning almost certainly refers to the titular character and no gender pronouns have been used for Christmas Ham yet.
This reminds me of Joan of Arc when the inquisitor asked if she was in a state of grace. Answering yes or no was enough to get death. But she deftly handled it the same way that Christmas Ham walks with our notorious ham eater without fear and knowing that they are protected.