11 Signs You’re a Cat Person

If you got to this page, there’s a good chance you’ve been referred to as a cat lady or cat dude or cat person. And the person who said it—whether it’s a family member, friend or co-worker—probably did so with an inflection in their voice that seemed to imply that this is something a “normal” person wouldn’t ever want to be.

Being a cat person comes with its own stigma, for sure—like the assumption that no cat lady or cat person has just one or two cats, but at least 20.

Well, we think that every cat lady and cat dude should claim the title with pride. You’re part of a special breed that’s so in tune with your inner tiger that you really get these mysterious creatures we call cats.

Here are the signs to look for to confirm that you are indisputably a cat person.

Anytime there’s an occasion for someone to give you a gift—your birthday, the holidays, graduation, your wedding—you know for a fact that it will be cat-themed, because your loved ones see you as the cat person in their lives. Just make it easy on your gifters, and tell them to get you a Cat Goody Box, which is essentially a box filled with treats and toys for your cat.

2. For you, “picking out new furniture” means going to our site and browsing the latest cat trees in search of a deluxe model for your precious fe-lions to climb, scratch, play and snooze on. Every cat person knows that as part of the family, the cats get to have their say in any redecorating decisions.

3.

You own at least three lint- or hair-removal tools to get the cat hair off the sofa, your clothes, your car seat… You keep one in the living room for last-minute cleanup before guests come over, one by the door to de-hair your clothing, and one in the car in case you forgot to use the other one.

4. A hairball, no matter how disgusting it might seem to your friends, partner or kids, doesn’t faze you in the least. Hairball, schmairball—it’s a fact of life for a cat person. You’ve got the routine down—do a first pass with the paper towel, then a second, then a spritz of stain and odor remover and a final wipe to dry.

You’ve searched high and low for the best litter. After trying every brand, you realized it’s not really up to you, but to the actual litter box user. One of our favorites is unscented Frisco Multi-Cat Clumping Litter, which seems to go over well with kitties, too.

You understand that nothing on a table is safe from curious paws that need to test the law of gravity repeatedly. This is why every surface in your home is pretty bare, and your glasses and precious breakable items are carefully hidden or secured in some way so they don’t end up as casualties.

It’s 3 a.m., and instead of being tucked away in your bed, you’re stumbling toward the cat food bag on autopilot. A cat person wouldn’t need to ask why, because they understand that these hungry kitties absolutely need their middle-of-the-night feedings to coincide with their natural hunting times.

8.

No one’s home, but you’re perfectly content recounting all the ups and downs of your days to your loyal good listener, who happens to have a tail and whiskers. Cat people understand that this is an extremely important part of the day, for both you and your cat.

When a cat is sitting on your lap but you need to get up, you don’t dare, because you might disturb your purring friend. This rule also applies if he’s not in your lap but still touching you. Because then he might not get his full 16 hours of sleep, and you don’t want that kind of guilt on your hands.

10. You chuckle about the idea of people subscribing to cat magazines, but you’ve flipped through a few of them “just to see” when no one was looking. You also think to yourself, “hey, I could have written this,” because you’re a cat person, and you deem yourself highly knowledgeable about cats.

11.

Although you’d never tell a dog person this, you think cats are much cleverer. They have a deep understanding of human-pet relations, so they know they don’t have to do a trick to get you to fill up the food bowl every day or to scoop up their poop. So intelligent!

If you’ve been nodding your head because these all sound very familiar, congratulations! You’re officially a cat person! Welcome to the purr-worthy, furball-loving, hairball-cleaning, cat-cuddling club!