While it may be really easy to shower your cat with affection, sometimes you may find yourself wondering, does my cat love me? Cats are one of the more elusive household pets (some may even say cold-hearted), but really they are adorably cute, although sometimes they can be hard to read. Below are the signs that your cat really truly loves you.

1. Head butting

If your cat bumps its forehead against yours, that is a sign that it loves you. (Caution: does not work this way with humans). My cat Iggy head bumps me all the time, and I didn’t know why at first. In fact, it’s called head bunting, and during this action your cat is actually depositing facial pheromones that represent their feelings of trust and safety they have with you. Kind of like a fist bump between bros, a head bunt is a confirmation of affection.

2. Showing their tummy

If your cat sprawls out in front of you, rolling around with its tummy up, it’s a sign that it feels safe around you. Feeling safe is very important to cats, so this is a sign that they feel loved and protected. They are also trying to get your attention (and let’s face it, it works).

3. Purring loudly

Cats purr for many reasons, but they can have a particularly loud, full-bodied purr that they save for expressing their loving feelings. Purring also lowers their heart rates and helps them relax.

4. Love bites

While it is common for a cat to bite you (if they are playing or scared), a little nibble is a sign of love. It’s pretty easy to tell the difference, one hurts and the other tickles.

5. Slow blinking

As weird as it sounds, cats kiss with their eyes. If they make eye contact with you then slowly close and open their eyes, or blink slowly, that means they are kissing you (ok, not really, but they are showing their love). You can even return the love by mimicking the blinking. (I do this sometimes with Iggy, it feels like I’m talking to my cat. Do I sound crazy yet?)

6. Kneading

Kittens knead against their mothers to stimulate milk production, which is why experts believe that kneading behavior in cats is nostalgic of kittenhood and acts as a way of reliving the happy moments they experienced as little ones. So if your cat kneads against you, it’s a way of showing adoration.

7. Gifting

If your cat brings a dead animal to your door step it is a sign of love (a gross one, but still). Cats still have an inner hunter in them, and sharing their catches with you is a sign of friendship (sharing is caring).

If your cat does any of these things, congratulations he or she loves you. If not, well, isn’t that a catastrophe?