Cats are strange creatures who aren't particularly fond of expressing affection and love. Yet, if you learn the symptoms of cat affection, you can quickly discover the signs that your cat loves you.

You are probably your cat's favorite person — or even its favorite thing in the world. Yet, it can be hard to tell sometimes.

Cats are aloof creatures that try to hold their emotions — especially the positive ones — close to their chests, only bringing out the meows when they need food, attention, or to express some form of displeasure.

With all that in mind, it's time we provide a cat guide for how to know if a cat likes and cares for you. These are the signs your cat loves you — and you should certainly be paying attention.

Different cats will respond differently to different people. One kitty's favorite human will be another's demon on two legs, and another's demon on two legs will be one cat's favorite human. The most difficult thing about cat affection, love, and appreciation is determining what is what and how your cat feels about you, your spouse, your kids, and your friends.

Cats that choose to cuddle their humans, who want to stick around, are likely tolerating their person's presence, but this doesn't mean that they love you. Let's take a look at what signs to look out for with a cat in love.

A cat that doesn't like you won't want to spend time with you. While each kitty is unique, and different cats will need different levels of closeness with their humans, this closeness is a good way of measuring how your cat feels about you. If your cat decides that it's time for a petting session entirely of its own volition, it's probably a good sign for your relationship.

This also comes to general proximity. If your cat keeps trying to sleep in an area that's close to you, it implies trust, and that trust implies love in the context of a kitty-cat. On top of trust, though, if your cat truly loves you, then its proximity is not only an indication that it knows you won't hurt it but an indication that it knows you will actively protect it.

As such, if your kitty is constantly close to you and seeking your attention, affection, and protection, it is very likely to love and appreciate you and your presence.

Cats don't generally like being touched on the stomach. In fact, they rather despite it. As such, if your kitty has started allowing you to not only cuddle it but actively stroke its belly, that cat's in love. It gets even stronger, though, if your cat not only tolerates a belly rub but actively seeks one out, rolling over onto its back and presenting its stomach in all its fluffy glory.

Most of our feline friends prefer the standard petting locations. In other words, they prefer to be petted on the back, on the head, on their sides, and under their chin — not on their stomach, paws, ears, or rear end. This is linked to vulnerability; they prefer areas of the body where they are less vulnerable, and the bottom of that list is their undercarriage.

As a result, if your cat lets you stroke its belly it is not only showing enjoyment and trust, but love and appreciation. It not only knows you won't hurt it but has the peace of mind to be chilled out as well.

Cats can express emotions via their face as well, even if many don't believe that they smile at all. While not nearly as expressive as a human can be, with limited movement options available, the way that a cat looks at you, and the shape of its mouth is a sign of how it feels and the respect it shares.

If it looks at you pleasantly and slowly blinks, with a twinkle in its eye and a warm expression on its face, your cat's body language is indicating to you that it is not only in a good mood but calm, safe, and stable. While these are all emotions possible for one who isn't in love, it's certainly a pretty solid indication.

A smart human will look back at their cat when this is going on, slowly blink themselves, and smile in a friendly and calm way. Just... don't be creepy, okay?

You may have noticed that your cute little kitty occasionally likes to press its head against your leg.

This is basically a "cat kiss," as your kitty is marking you with its scent and pheromones. The idea is to indicate you as part of their territory and, therefore, their property, letting other cats know that you are protected.

They won't only do this with their head, though, often brushing against you with their tail, making biscuits with their paws (there are sweat glands in their paws which mark you), giving you little kisses with their nose and lips, and sometimes even licking their human's face or hands.

Marking is a sign that your cat doesn't just tolerate you but actively values you and wants to keep you safe. It's also a matter of jealousy — you are your cat's human, not another cat's.

While cats are remarkably independent creatures and very happy to be left alone sometimes, they still don't want to end up lonely. As such, when left by themselves when you are at work, they will first spend their time sleeping and chilling, eating and pooping, and then will begin to anticipate your return.

If your cat feels comfortable with you, it will likely want you back. After all, you are part of its pack and a member of its family. This is also part of the reason why cats seem to enjoy taking part in household chores like making the bed and doing the dishes — you are being active and present, and cats like that.

Similarly, when you find that your cat is often standing by the door, chirping at you, and going in for a cuddle when you come home, it is quite likely to be deeply in love with you.

Your cat has no concept of love, so no, it doesn't know that you love it. Instead, your cat will likely understand that you care for it, provide food, and bend to its many whims and whimpers. A kitty that feels love doesn't know that the emotion it is experiencing is defined as "love" by us petty humans, so how could it also know that we experience that same emotion?

Cats are cats, not humans. Sure, your cat knows that you are looking out for it (hopefully), but it does not understand sadness, happiness, love, or fear. It experiences those things, sure, but — let's be honest — it doesn't speak English.