I would love to have a conversation with a cat or dog about politics and the weather. Kidding aside, the weather topic might work if basic communication can be established.

Humans are able to think very abstractly; other animals struggle with (or are incapable of) abstract concepts like government, banks, rent/mortgage, and religion/secularism. Heck, even some humans struggle with those concepts. But talking about more concrete things that have a clear observable presence, such as the weather that's occurring (particularly if it's harsh so that the animal is naturally going to notice it), might work.