They don’t need to be taken on walks, they don’t take up as much space as dogs and they are far more independent.
More than a quarter of households share their homes with a puss, adding up to a staggering 8 million cats across the country.
On National Cat Day we asked our Facebook followers to post photos of their pets – and many of their stories left paw prints on our hearts.
There were owners who adopted rescue cats from the RSPCA and a touching appeal from Dawn Longden-Whiting asking people in Stonegravels, Chesterfield to look out for Jazz who disappeared 15 months ago.