Overall, my childhood was great. My family didn't have much, but my parents always did what they could for us. Up until eighth grade, I was fortunate enough to attend Catholic School. As is common for most religious elementary schools, mine was small and everyone knew each other.

From the time I was in first grade (6-years-old) kids in my class singled me out as the "weird kid" (everyone remembers that) for no reason except that there was no one before me. I would get spitballs to the back of my head, excluded from parties and games, and kids would even try to pull pranks on me with the goal of embarrassing me in front of the class. This was all before I was eight.

As a result, I turned in towards myself and to the only people who never judged me or seemed to hate me; my cats. Now, I can't remember the exact number I had growing up, but I had cats from the time I was in first grade until middle school.

I began telling them my thoughts, and feelings, the problems that I had in school that day, and what I wanted for dinner that night. I was so attached to those felines; I became so familiar with their body language and could understand what they were telling me through that. I didn't need them to respond to me, I just needed their acceptance and their love.

Outside of my little world, I used those observational skills to determine if someone was getting bored with me, if they were thinking that I was indeed weird, or if they were secretly making fun of me.

I didn't realize it as a kid but I was developing social anxiety and, as an adult, I fully believe the cats I had growing up kept me from becoming agoraphobic. I was always sensitive, however, my empathy grew when I saw my little sister pick up the cat the wrong way or if I heard people saying that cats were incapable of love altogether.

I knew what it was like to be misunderstood and brushed off from face value so as I grew up and made friends with people, I gained the confidence to speak up. First, it was for cats and animals in general, and then by the time I was a sophomore in high school, about everything.

I learned how to notice smaller details in the world to help navigate it in my own way because my childhood cats taught me how to be more observant.

Although having my cats as my only friend for a long while has made me confront problems I have developed as a result, it has also given me a sense of self and kept me feeling human.

So, even if you don't like cats, don't talk bad about them to other people because you don't know if that's their lifeline.