A short while ago, an avid dog-lover and friend of mine who is extremely ignorant to what it’s like to own a feline, told me a story. The story was about the difference between sharing a home with a cat and living with a dog:

“Living with a dog is like living with a lover,” he said. “And living with a cat is like living with a roommate.”

Hopefully, if you’re like me, you rolled your eyes in reaction to the above quote. Because honestly, living with a cat is way easier and less demanding than living with a dog, and this is doubly true for college students.

Look, I have owned as many dogs as I have cats (three total). They are great in their own special way, but they really can’t compare to cats for multiple reasons.

First off, cats are low-maintenance — much more so than dogs. Furthermore, they’re cheaper to take care of and more apartment-friendly than dogs. Besides scooping poop and providing food and water, there’s not much cats really need you to do for them, which is great!

Also, cats don’t need you to take them on walks or require owners to bathe them; they handle exercise and grooming all by themselves. This brings me to my next point about cats.

Cats are like millennial women: they’re strong, independent and they don’t need no human!

This contrasts directly with dogs, who require almost constant attention and affection, even though their unconditional love is endearing.

Cats want you to work and prove your love for them, and that’s one of the things that makes them special. Cats love you for a reason, whereas dogs love everything. Especially their own poop.

Felines are also great for pest control purposes. Dogs like to eat poop, while cats like to eat rodents, bugs and a variety of other home invaders that infest and contaminate your household.

Even though you probably don’t need any more convincing, cats do something dogs, and sometimes boyfriends, never do: they bring their owners presents.

Once you’ve won a cat’s heart, they’ll treat you like part of their feline pride. If they bring you a stuffed animal (or a slaughtered bunny), you know you’ve done something right. If that isn’t love, then I don’t know what is.