Many people in the world, like me, are pet people. I am not a “dog person” or a “cat person,” just a pet person. Because pets are incredible and make everything in life better. This morning, I was woken by kisses from my cat and a wagging tail from my dog, and the random wave of joy they brought about compelled me to explain exactly why I consider them my very best friends.

1. They’re really good listeners.

No matter what I have to say to my dog, he listens with rapt attention, never interrupting nor wavering throughout my long-winded thoughts and concerns. He even seems to distinguish good ranting from bad, and wags his tail or gives me puppy dog eyes correspondingly. My cat also has her own breed of listening. Being a tiny black cat with an unusually small head and disproportionately big eyes, her stare gives the appearance of intense interest in whatever I’m saying. Logically, I realize she’s really fascinated by the hair swinging by my cheek, but in my little fantasy world, she is very concerned with the issues facing me that day.

2. They can make me laugh no matter what.

As I said, my cat has disproportionately large eyes and a very small head. She is also quite insane, and does what my brother has dubbed “Kitty Parkour,” catapulting off of walls and furniture in the oddest fashion. She is a rescue and was separated from her mother before she was even two weeks old. So she had no adult role model to teach her how to be a proper cat, and thus has learned any and all mannerisms from my family and me, or else my dog. She cannot meow properly (she squeaks instead), she occasionally makes a sound that we have decided is her trying to mimic my dog’s bark and she never ever lands on her feet. All of this, combined with her very, very hyper personality, creates at least a dozen side-splitting moments each day.

My wonderful dog is a Labradoodle, which if you don't know, is a giant floppy mop of a dog with the sweetest disposition imaginable. My lovely Labradoodle, LooEe’, is the most relaxed, sweet, clumsy, tennis-ball obsessed creature on the planet and often is able to make us laugh just by looking at us with his tongue hanging out. His fluffy face and fur-covered eyes are so dorky and sweet, you can’t help but crack a smile, even if all he’s doing is sitting on the couch.

3. They like to cuddle.

My Labradoodle, who weighs in around 66 pounds, seems to think he is a lab dog. As a result, he often sprawls across my tiny twin bed with me at night or jumps on top of me and plops down on my lap while I lounge on the couch. Huge and heavy as he is, I love the trust and the companionship he shows by doing this, especially on those bad days when you really just need a friend.

My cat too loves to cuddle. She follows me around the house often, just watching me do chores or sitting on the desk and staring at me while I work on homework, or write, or do paperwork, and as soon as I leave a space open, on my lap or my chest or even my shoulder, she climbs on board and cuddles up next to me.

4. They are always genuinely concerned about me.

I remember several times in the past when I was crying because of breakups or fights with friends or PMS or whatever else, and my wonderful dog trotted over, looked at me through his hair with his big brown eyes and climbed up next to me to plop his head on my lap. These instances seemed to so clearly say, “I love you, Lea, don’t be sad.”

And despite what some people say about cats being cuddly during sickness because they sense your weakness, I firmly, and perhaps stubbornly, believe that my cat’s increased cuddling when I am sick is caused by her love and concern for me, not her secret wish for me to die.

5. They can’t talk back—at least not with words.

Granted, my cat makes a fair amount of noise when she doesn't get what she wants, and my dog makes no secret of it when he wants attention, but neither of them speak English or anything like it, so if I rant to them or tell them to do something, then I don't get sass or complaints back.

6. They always want me around.

When I walk through the door at the end of the day, my dog jumps around and barks and wags like a maniac, and I feel like I’m being celebrated for coming home after years rather than hours away from home. I’m sure other dog owners have experienced this overjoyed attitude from their canine family members when they get home from work or school each evening. My dog goes absolutely ballistic, which makes my day every single time. My cat too, makes a show of coming up and rubbing my leg or sitting with me on the couch once I’ve settled in, always purring as if to say, “OK, you aren't so bad, I’m glad you’re back.”

7. They are too adorable not to love.

My cat, with her little kitten-like structure and giant eyes, is impossible not to love. She makes the cutest little noises, and her personality is forever frozen in the kitten stage. My dog too, though he is nearing 11-years-old, still looks like a puppy, is cuddly, loving and always wants to play. Plus he loves belly rubs. How could you not love something so sweet?

8. They are good for your health.

Research on pet owners has shown them less likely to have heart attacks, less susceptible to depression, more likely to be in good physical condition, have lower cholesterol, and just be happier, healthier people who live longer. So if you aren't a pet owner, then become one now. They make life more fun.

9. They love me unconditionally.

And that’s what friends are for right? My pets brighten each and every one of my days, and they do so by being their sweet selves and loving me despite my weirdness and my slightly crazy tendency to talk to them as though they understand on a regular basis. They don't judge my taste in music or how I dress, they don't care about any mistakes I make, and they don't mind any of my odd habits or irritating personality traits. They just love me for me and always will.