Cats make wonderful companions, and billions around the world are happily filling the bill as someone’s best friend at this very moment. Cats have enduring qualities that make them popular furry family members; they’re loving and devoted, and the range of personalities you can find among them is truly stunning.

Cats see the best in us and choose to love us for that, which is a pretty wonderful and powerful gift, but there are practical reasons that make them great companions as well! Keep reading for 12 reasons why cats are man’s best friend.

The 14 Reasons Why Cats Are Man’s Best Friend

1. Cats Are Soft and Fun to Pet

Cats have soft fur that makes them pleasant to pet, and most are more than happy to go with the flow as long as the attention is to their liking; chin rubs and forehead kisses are almost always welcome.

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2. Cats Are Protective

While dogs are often considered protective, cats also deserve points for keeping their humans safe and sound. Cats love their people and will spring into action to “protect” them when they feel the need.

They’ve even been known to wake sleeping humans so they can escape from raging fires and have been seen battling with dogs to protect kids.

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4. Cats Are Great Snugglers

Cats love to snuggle, and sitting with a warm, purring cat close to you can make any moment perfect. Falling asleep on a lazy afternoon with a cat sleeping contentedly in your arms may be one of the great pleasures and privileges of life.

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5. Cats Choose to Be Around Us

Cats can live on their own without human interference, as the feral cats of the world make quite clear. That companion cats choose to live with humans is truly amazing, given just how special these beings are.

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6. Cats Use the Bathroom Indoors

While taking dogs for walks has benefits for people and communities, sometimes it’s nice not to have to get up and get dressed to ensure your buddy has a chance to hit the bathroom, particularly when the weather is cold, wet, and windy. Cats take care of their bathroom needs on their own, when they please, indoors where it’s nice and warm.

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7. Cats Are Creative

Cats are curious, and they’re creative. A cat looking for a place to nap may decide that the bathroom sink is the perfect place to snooze. Others find innovative ways to open doors, go on unauthorized neighborhood visits, and let themselves into cabinets to snack on treats.

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8. Cats Love to Help Out

Cats aren’t passive creatures who simply look cute as they hang out on couches; they’re serious workers who make solid contributions to the households where they live.

Cats often help by ensuring their people wake up “on time,” providing “assistance,” sending emails, and keeping keyboards warm. They’re also quite helpful when packing suitcases and are often very interested in activities involving newspapers.

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9. Cats Take Care of Their Own Bathing Needs

Most cats don’t need much human help in the bathing department. While some enjoy playing with water as it drips out of faucets and others like a good swim, cats, as a general rule, don’t need to be put in the tub, shampooed, and rinsed off like dogs do. In fact, most would probably prefer it if you didn’t even try.

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10. Cats Can Live Almost Anywhere

Cats are incredibly adaptable; they can live on their own in the wild or with people. Some enjoy the rigors of farm life, and others prefer to hang out indoors and nap in the sun. Cats are generally happy in large homes and small apartments as long as their humans are by their sides.

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11. Cats Are Happy to Exercise Indoors

Cats like to exercise, and thankfully, they’re generally happy to do so indoors where it’s nice and warm. Cats don’t require you to go for long runs to ensure they get enough physical activity to stay happy. Most are perfectly fine with regular teaser chasing, games of fetch, and fake mouse stalking.

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12. Cats Don’t Have Expensive Tastes in Accessories

Cats have demands that are pretty much non-negotiable; they need tasty food and water bowls, pleasing litter setups, high perches to enjoy, comfortable beds to nap in, and fun toys to play with.

When it comes to places to snooze and toys, cats sometimes prefer DIY options. Most love hanging out in cardboard boxes, and DIY toys can deliver hours of fun for little money.

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13. Cats Are Master Problem Solvers

Humans regularly do things that cats either can’t quite understand (like switching litter types for no good reason) or find outright annoying (like not cleaning the litter frequently enough).

Cats grasp that humans have limitations and do strange things, like urinating outside of the litter box, to communicate their needs.

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14. Cats Are Loving

Cats love their people unconditionally. They dole out uplifting snuggles and nose kisses, ignore the stuff we do that bothers them (usually), entertain us with strange habits, and bring light into the world in more ways than it’s possible to imagine.

Conclusion

Cats make wonderful companions for numerous reasons, from how they wake their favorite people at random hours to the sweet little nose kisses they give to say I love you. They’re loving and devoted; most enjoy spending time with their people, and many can become depressed when a person they love is suddenly absent. Cats shower their people with kindness and unconditional love and see the best in them, which is genuinely one of the great blessings in life.

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Featured Image Credit: I Wei Huang, Shutterstock