THEY are the friendly faces greeting you at the end of a long day.
And as any cat-lover will tell you, our pet felines are as quirky and diverse as the people who own them.
Now, the weird and wonderful mannerisms of cats are being celebrated in a new competition.
The contest has been launched by the RSPCA Hull branch to encourage cat-lovers to get snap happy with their pet, while making a contribution to a worthy cause.
"On my Facebook, I 'like' all sorts of cat pages and people are always posting funny pictures," said RSPCA trustee Jackie Dainty.
"You see all the weird things cats get up to.
"So that inspired us to start the competition and choose some fun categories for people to enter.
"I'm hoping we will get some very creative and crazy pictures."
The five CATegories photographers can enter are Cutest Pose, Best Friends, Older And Wiser, Cats At Play and You Went To Sleep Where?
Jackie said: "I've got two cats called Amber and Rudi and they get themselves into all sorts of poses.
"The downside for me, as a trustee, is that I won't be able to enter my own cats in the contest.
"There will be plenty of people out there who love their cats and want to get their photograph in the competition."
To give our readers some ideas for each category, our photographer Jerome Ellerby took pictures of some of the cats at the RSPCA's Clough Road base currently in need of homes.
He took pictures of Felix, Poppy, Zara, Buttons and Saffron at the RSPCA.
He also snapped his own cat Boris asleep in a rather small basket for the You Went To Sleep Where? category.
For the Cutest Pose, we pictured Buttons.
Amanda Nightingale, of the Hull branch, said: "She has been with us since July last year.
"Unfortunately, she was re-homed for a while in October but was returned to us in November because she didn't get on well with the person's other cat.
"She is a Little Miss Independent so she'd be perfect for someone who doesn't have other pets.
"She is very loving, but when she has had enough, she'll let you know."
Bosom buddies Felix and Poppy posed for the Best Friends picture.
"They came in together and we think they might be brother and sister," said Amanda.
"They always lie together and groom each other so they are very much together all the time.
"We don't want to split them up, so we'd want to re home them together."
For our Older And Wiser- inspired picture, we used Zara – a 13-year-old cat who has been at the centre since November.
Amanda said: "Cats can live into their 20s, so although 13 sounds old, she should hopefully have another six or seven years left.
"Unfortunately, lots of people looking for a pet want a kitten, so Zara gets overlooked a lot.
"Because she is older, she would suit a home that is quiet where she can snooze all day."
Finally, to inspire pet owners for the Cats At Play section, we featured Saffron.
She was found in a box with three other kittens, who have since been re homed.
Amanda said: "She is seven weeks old now and is very playful.
"She would definitely suit any kind of home – especially if people are willing to play with her."
If you have been inspired by our pictures and want to enter the contest, you have until the closing date of Friday, June 7.
Entry costs just £1 and everyone who takes part will be given a free cat toy.
Anyone wishing to submit a 6x4 photograph must print it out and take a hard copy, along with the entry form and submission fee, to the RSPCA's Clough Road base during opening hours.
The winners will be announced at the branch's Dog Show on June 23.
Visit www.rspca-hull.org.uk for more information and to print off an entry form.
