Over the years I’ve adopted four shelter cats:

Murphy, a calico fluff prone to flop for a belly rub (RIP age 18).

Benny the Ball, a pure white pillow of a cat with one blue eye and one gold eye (RIP age 11).

Abby, an orange and white scaredy cat who spent a lot of time sleeping in the bedroom closet (RIP age 17).

And my current cat Vinny, also orange and white (never saw that coming), age unknown, who loves to sleep on my face and has never met a human he didn’t like.

Two males, two females, each one unique in temperament and behavior.

We “cat people” are well aware of the misconceptions about cats and their behavior.

One of the most common is that cats are just plain snooty. You’ve heard the joke "Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later."

But University of Washington animal behaviorist Saethra Jade Fritscher says cats form emotional attachments to humans, just as dogs do.

“But, cats aren’t dogs and sometimes their social behavior confuses people, especially those more familiar with dogs,” she says.

Another cat myth is that cats only want to sit on you for warmth.

“That is definitely false,” says Fritscher.” There are plenty of other, warmer, places to sit (in front of the heater, in a sunny window, on top of the dryer, etc.) and still your kitty chooses to sit on you.”

And even in summer, when the last thing anyone needs is to be warmed up, you still see kitties on laps.

“Cats sit on you because they like you, full stop,” says Fritscher.

“Some cats are extremely affectionate, and they will sit on you whenever they can and come running to greet you at the door,” says Fritscher. “Clearly, these cats love you. But, some cats are shyer or more nervous about other aspects of their home -- they may be less gregarious, but I’d bet they still love you.”

My ginger cats – Abby and Vinny – are opposites. Abby was shy, while Vinny will greet anyone who comes in the front door and will hop onto any lap. Abby’s big gesture was to rub her face on my nose.

Face rubbing is simply kitty 101.

“Kitties have glands on their faces that produce pheromones,” said Fritscher. “They will rub these pheromones on their belongings. It helps mark their territory and it reminds them of where it is safe to be -- you are theirs and you’re safe, hence they rub on you. “

Vinny likes to be carried over my shoulder like a human baby and follows me around like a puppy (Mom, mom, mom, mommy, mommy, mommy…).

He’s definitely a people-oriented cat.

Here’s an experiment in cat communication you can try with your cat. Slowly blink your eyes at him or her from across the room.

“Slow blinks in return, even from a shy cat, are a sure sign your kitty likes you,” says Fritscher. “And might even make your cat get up and come over for some lovin’.”

But cats don’t like it when you stare directly at them, which is why they tend to gravitate toward the one person in who is ignoring them (often that person isn’t fond of cats!)

Another common misconception about cats is that if Fluffy urinates someplace other than in the litter box – on your bed or pillow, for example – she is “mad” at you.

Fritscher says that’s simply not true.

“Aside from the fact that there is no scientific evidence to support the idea that cats have the required cognitive function to maintain grudges and dole out punishment accordingly, I’d say in about 90 percent of these cases, there is some sort of underlying physiological problem behind the behavior (e.g. urinary tract disorders, anxiety),” she said. “The rest of the time, there’s something about the current litter box set-up in the household that is keeping kitty from eliminating in the right place. “

Fritscher says cats really do want to go in the right place -- they’re fastidious creatures.

“Sometimes, it’s a combination of a physiological issue and a household issue,” she says. “These cats need to go to the vet and see a behaviorist.”

Another undesirable cat behavior is scratching on furniture. Fritscher says all you need to do is provide other scratching options and your cat will leave your furniture alone.

You need to experiment to determine if your cat is a vertical or horizontal scratcher.

I use clothes hamper-size baskets – one near the food area, the other not far from the litter box – and Vinny stays away from the furniture.

They may not be as boisterous as dogs, but the bottom line is that our kitties do love us – they just show their affection in subtle ways.