We don’t know about you, but when we see a cute fluffy cat, we drop all our belongings and run to sweep that precious baby into our arms. Don’t let those claws deter you, cats are much more than the second-best pet.

Boy, are cats cute. From newborn kittens to senior catizens, these furry friends will never fail to steal our hearts. Literally anything they do, whether it’s performing a gold-medal-worthy gymnastics move to lick themselves or lying down on your keyboard as you type up an essay leaves everyone in their vicinity going, “D’awwwwwwwww.”

Cats are even more cute when they’ve slipped into the sweet state of slumber. There’s nothing more satisfying than having a warm, purring cat knocked out in your lap. There’s a reason why the song “Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty” is so popular. Even better, while you’re sleeping, cats will always be sure to wake you up right on time at the crack of dawn so you can drag your half-asleep corpse to class. Why would you need an alarm when you can be magically awoken by a soft furball licking your face? Cats know just how to make mornings more enjoyable.

The best part about cats is that they love being baby-talked to. You can speak in the most ridonculous, high-pitched voice you never even knew you had, and all they’ll do is stare at you and move on with their life. In fact, cats respond more to high-pitched sounds than low-pitched sounds. They might even come and sit on your lap for a nice head massage as you serenade them. You know you can always be your true, outrageous self without being judged with cats. Well, maybe a little.

Cats, cats, cats — how we love them so. These independent little babies are the lights of our lives, the muses of our croons. And as long as you feed them, they’ll love you right back.

And yes, in case you were wondering, we are the kind of people who call even the oldest of cats “kittens.”

Thank you cats, for being, well, cats! We wouldn’t have you any other way.