Etymology From kitt(en) + -y (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch katje (“kitty”). Etymology 1 sense 2 (“vulva and/or vagina”) is probably modelled after the use of pussy to refer to the body part, from the appearance of an unshaven vulva.
He said there was a beast with fangs in the alley, but it turned out to be a cute little kitty.
A pretty young Kitty, / She had that could Purr; / 'Tvvas gameſome and handſome, / And had a rare Furr; […]a. 1708 (date written), [Henry Playford], “Puss in a Corner: A New Song, to a Pretty New Tune Made by a Man of Quality”, in Thomas d’Urfey, compiler, Songs Compleat, Pleasant and Divertive; […], volume II, London: […] W. Pearson, for J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1719, →OCLC, page 82:
3 more examples
Grandma-cats don't very often care for their grand-kittens. But I know two little Maltese kittens that have the nicest grandma that ever any little kittens had. […] The kitties are named "Bill" and "May." They are good names. […] Of the kitties, you can't tell which is the prettier, however hard you try; and they are good kitties, as they ought to be, with a mamma and a grandma to take care of them.1875 July, “The Kitties’ Grandma”, in The Dayspring, volume IV (New Series; Old Series volume XXVII), number 7, Boston, Mass.: Unitarian Sunday-School Society, →OCLC, page 107, column 1:
Warm kitty, soft kitty, / Little ball of fur, / Sleepy kitty, happy kitty, / Purr! Purr! Purr!1937, Edith Newlin, “Warm Kitty”, in Laura Pendleton MacCarteney, compiler, Songs for the Nursery School: […], Cincinnati, Oh.: Willis Music, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Jun 2020, page 21:
To a child, a cat may look like a moving toy, so it's important to explain how delicate and sensitive a cat's body is from the very start. […] Even how a child picks up and handles the cat can make the kitty begin to fear the very sight of the youngster.2007, Pam Johnson-Bennett, “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?”, in Starting from Scratch: How to Correct Behavior Problems in Your Adult Cat, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, →ISBN, pages 271–272:
2
Broadly, Informal An adult cat; also (often childish), sometimes in the form Kitty: a pet name for a cat of any age.
Looking at Lynn's naked body one last time, Mia decided to try something else. She waited for Lynn to bend down to grab her underwear and then came up behind her and began licking her kitty with long, wet strokes.2010 June, Anya Nicole, “A Fraud, a Phony, a Fake”, in Judgment Day, Deer Park, N.Y.: Urban Books, →ISBN, page 166:
The way Tariq was licking her kitty had her clutching the sheets.2017, CoCo Amoure [pseudonym], Falling For A Young Boss (Promise Me Forever; 2), [Atlanta, Ga.]: Sullivan Group Publishing, →ISBN:
1 more example
Evan's tongue was magic. She'd heard most men didn't have the skills to make a girl lose her mind by licking her kitty. But Evan …2019 November 18, Shanté Funches, “Mya and Evan”, in Web of Desire, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN:
Etymology Origin uncertain; etymology 2 sense 2 (relating to card games) is possibly from kit (“collection of items”) + -y (diminutive suffix).
1
Synonym of jack (“a small, typically white, ball used as the target ball in bowls”).
2
Card games, Games, PokerEspecially, Slang A pool of money to which card players contribute a portion of their winnings, which is used for paying shared expenses such as the cost of the premises or refreshments; (by extension) any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; also, any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use.
Your business is busted up, your thousand dollars is gone into the kitty of this corrupt country on that last bluff you made, […]1909 April, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “The Fourth in Salvador”, in Roads of Destiny, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, pages 213–214:
They told me you always had to come back to the band with your hand open so they could see what tip you got and you put that in the kitty.1995 September 8 (date interviewed), Peter Vacher, quoting Betty Hall Jones, “Betty Hall Jones: Piano, Organ, and Vocals”, in Swingin’ on Central Avenue: African American Jazz in Los Angeles, Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, published 2015, →ISBN, page 99:
3
Card games, Games, PokerEspecially, Slang Synonym of pot (“a quantity of money available to be won in a round or a game”).
4
Card games, Games, PokerEspecially, Slang Synonym of widow (“an additional hand of playing cards dealt face-down in some card games, to be used by the highest bidder”).
Besides we had a nice tollbooth, / To pull'd down was a pity, / And in its stead we've got—forsooth— / A vile pernicious kitty. / […] / Like convicts in a condemn'd cell, / They're fed on bread and water; / 'Midst winter's cold and putrid smell, / Thus tort'ring human nature.1824, Robert Gilchrist, “The Retrospect”, in A Collection of Original Local Songs. […], 2nd edition, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland: […] [F]or the author, by W. A. Mitchell, […], →OCLC, page 28:
kitty
noun
Etymology From Kitty (“diminutive of the female given name Katherine”).
1
UK, Dialectal In full kitty-wren: synonym of wren (“any bird of the family Troglodytidae; specifically the Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)”).
[T]he male wrens (Troglodytes) of North America, build "cock-nests," to roost in, like the males of our distinct Kitty-wrens,—a habit wholly unlike that of any other known bird.[1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Instinct”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 243:
kitty
noun
Etymology Clipping of kitt(iwake) + -y (diminutive suffix).
1
UK, Archaic, Dialectal Synonym of kittiwake (“either of two small gulls in the genus Rissa of the family Laridae; specifically (Ireland, UK), the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)”).
In the parish of Gaurie three curiosities upon the coast are exhibited to travellers: 1st, A perpendicular rock, of very great extent, full of shelves, and possessed by thousands of birds called kittywakes. […] Some people are fond of eating the young kitties; but the shooting of them is a favourite diversion every year.1806, Ro[bert] Forsyth, “Banffshire”, in The Beauties of Scotland: […], volume IV, Edinburgh: […] [John Brown] for Arch[ibald] Constable and Co. and John Brown, […], →OCLC, page 460: