Young cat. Also an affectionate way to refer to a cat. Usually has lots of whiskers.

For Iceberg Slim and his contemporaries, this was jivespeak for Cadillac, the minimum required ride for any pimp.

Kitty seems to be a fairly popular name for cats as well. Half the cats I know are named this. Maybe I just don't know very original people. Our cat was a stray, and the first (only) name it reacted to was Kitty, so it stuck.

Besides the obvious reason for the name, that it refers to a young cat, I've heard that cats actually respond better to the "tee" at the end of it. Particularly if you scream "HERE kittykittykittykitty!!"
That would definitely not work with a name like, say, Ralph.

But above and beyond there's still one name left over
And that is the name that you never will guess
The name that no human research can discover
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
-- T. S. Eliot

Kit"ty (?), n.

1.

A kitten; also, a pet name or calling name for the cat.

2.

[Etym. uncertain.]

(Gaming)

The percentage taken out of a pool to pay for refreshments, or for the expenses of the table.

R. F. Foster.

 

© Webster 1913.