Throughout my entire life, there was one constant. This constant was that there was always a cat present in my home. Sometimes one, sometimes four. But there was always one there. Growing up in a cat-dominant family formed an addiction for me. An addiction to the attitude, cuddles and kisses that my cats always gave me.

For me, there was nothing better than waking up to the early morning greeting of a cat desperate for attention (or in most cases, food) or finding that a cat had snuck under my covers in the night and snuggled up to my stomach. When I went away to college, there was no way for me to have a cat with me. I went home every weekend and spent vacations home as well just to curb the sadness I felt being away from my cats.

Now I have come to realize the truth. While I have lots of best friends who I love very much, my cats are the best friends I could ever ask for. They don’t complain when you talk to them. You can cry on their shoulders and they won’t judge you. You can sleep all day and they will sleep next to you. You can stay up all night and they will stay up with you. Here 11 signs you know your cat is your best friend:

1. Your Instagram or Facebook is plagued with cat pictures.

All cat parents do this. No matter what your cat is doing it’s beyond adorable. Are they sleeping? Definitely worth the picture. Are they glaring at you? Also worth the picture. Are they laying on your chest with their butt directly in your face? Absolutely worth a picture. At this point, it’s safe to say I probably have more pictures of my cats than I do anything else.

2. Your outfit is never complete without cat fur.

Let’s face it. Owning a cat means that no matter what you wear, you’ll be picking cat fur off your outfit. However, this isn’t a problem for you. You appreciate every single cuddle your cat gives you. Even if they’re white and you are wearing all black. You pluck every cat fur from your outfit and instead of being angry, you find yourself laughing about it. Personally, I pick the cat fur from my outfits and make notes of which cat it’s from. I like to remind myself that both of my cats love me.

3. People refer to you as [insert cat name here]’s mom or dad.

Recently, I posted a picture of Buttercream on Yik Yak. Somehow enough people on my university campus know who Buttercream is to call me Buttercream’s mom out of context. While some people would be offended to be reduced to a name like this, I embrace it. Buttercream is my baby and am honored to be her mom.

4. Almost every conversation you have somehow ends up on the topic of your cat.

You love your cats so much that no matter what you are talking about somehow you manage to get in a story of something cute or stupid that your cat has done in the past few days. Or even worse someone else is talking about something their cat did and you can’t help but laugh and tell them about something your cat did. It’s like an endless cycle. The other day in one of my classes we got a huge tangent because all we could do was talk about our cats. Even my professor joined in.

5. You can't imagine going a day without seeing your cat.

For the past couple years, I have had my own apartment and my own cats. Every weekend I go and stay with my boyfriend a couple hours away. I am in a constant tizzy about how my cats are doing home without me. My roommate takes care of them for me and I know she would tell me right away if anything was wrong, but I can’t help but worry about them.

I ask my roommate so many times how my cats are doing or send her snapchats of my boyfriend's cats in hopes that she will send me pictures of my babies back.

6. You’ve cancelled plans because your cat was sick or sad.

I am 100 percent guilty of this. One of my mom’s cats is extremely sensitive to change. He suffers from kitty depression and psychogenic alopecia. This means he gets really sad and distant as well as digging and pulling his fur out until he causes open wounds. One summer it was hard for me to leave him home because he would constantly hide and was genuinely a very unhappy cat. It pained me to see him so sad. I spent hours laying with him on the floor just patting him to help soothe the depression he was feeling. I can’t even remember how many times that summer I told people I couldn’t hang out because I felt obligated to stay home with my cat.

7. The first thing you do when you get home is greet your pet.

Though you may live with your family, your significant other or have a roommate, the first person you greet after being away from home is your cat. You have missed their cuddles and their kisses so much that you can’t help but rush to them and give them all the love they deserve. Of course at times this can be perceived as rude. Especially if there is a person right there when you enter who may be offended that you greet your cat first.

One of my cats waits for me by the door like a dog. As soon as I opened the door she rushes at me in a mix of fur and high pitched cat trills. One time my roommate was in the living room with a friend and instead of saying "hi" to them first, I picked up my little lump of cat and greeted her.

8. You made a valiant attempt to harness-train your cat.

People with dogs have it easy. Hook a leash to their collar and off they go. Car rides, long walks and quality time outside. For many people, cats are indoor only animals. This makes it hard to spend quality time with your best friend when you want to go for a walk or be outside and enjoy the outdoors. This is where harnesses come in handy. Many pet stores now sell harnesses dedicated to our lovable, furry cat friends.

Of course whenever I put a harness on Buttercream she topples over on her side and glares at me.

You can buy one here!

9. “People say that dogs are a man's best friend, but my cat is mine.”

You are guilty of making a post that sounds similar to the above quote. Admit it. We’ve all done it before.

10. You let your cat get away with anything.

You allow your cat to do things you wouldn't let anyone else do. Like sit on the kitchen table. Lick your face. Sleep in your laundry basket. Watch you shower.

You know. Just normal things.

11. You can't imagine life without a cat.

The hardest part of living in a college dorm was being without a cat. The bathrooms sucked. The beds sucked. The food sucked. And I didn’t have a cat to come home to after a long day. The two years I lived on campus were miserable. The main reason behind me getting an off campus? I wanted a cat. And now I have two loveable, beautiful little creatures who I get to come home to every single day.