Purring means "Don’t go anywhere, please"

What you think purring means: This sounds like a happy cat

What it's really saying: Happy is not the most accurate translation of the sound’s meaning, says Cromwell-Davis. It's more likely an indication that they need care. “They haven’t got a good way of asking for help — it’s not in their language — so they do the next best thing, they do the purring thing,” said John Bradshaw, a University of Bristol anthrozoologist and the author of Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet.

When a cat rubs itself against your leg it's hugging you

What you think it means: The cat is charming me for milk

What they're really saying: “When cats are coming back from hunting, what we commonly see in the feral situation is they may spend several minutes rubbing up and down, up and down, against each other,” says Cromwell-Davis. “They’ll also wrap their tails over each other’s backs — it’s like a human hug.”

This symbol for reuniting after a period of separation likely applies to the way pet cats interact with their owners. “When you’ve been at work or school all day, and your cat comes up and rubs back and forth against you, and he may wrap his tail across your calves — what your cat is doing is taking a friendly greeting behaviour that normally functions within their species and moves it to relating with the human species,” she said.

Slow blinking means the cat trusts you

What you think slow blinking means: He/she might be feeling sleepy

What they're really saying: In the feline world, closing one’s eyes in the presence of another is the ultimate sign of trust. Slow, languid blinks are a sign of a cat's affection.

In Science of Us, Gary Weitzman, a veterinarian and author of How to Speak Cat: A Guide to Decoding Cat Language, confirms “The slow blink really is an acceptance gesture. They do that when they’re absolutely comfortable with you.” He adds that slow blinking is likely caused by a cat's levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) reducing.

Cats are as affectionate as dogs, says science. We're just misunderstanding their purrs and blank faces