My cat is my best friend and I get the feeling she sees me as what she is going to become one day - a full grown cat that can walk and talk and drive a car. I don't think she sees me as something to she could or would kill, but as a sibling that one day, she will grow up to be like.
She does imitate some things I do, like sitting up to watch TV with me on the couch or squatting over her litter box like she was sitting on a toilet.
Cats are pretty smart and also quite capable of being very close and loving. They just have to express it on their own terms.