Yikes, after some research I learned some not so great things about the cat chateau so as a long term kitten, let me clear some air for sanity sake.
Kitten play on the surface is kitten role play, kitten pet play in a bdsm / D/s dynamic where we have "Owners" instead of Masters or other Dom types (of course this varies and there's plenty of Masters and Daddy/Mommy Dom's with kittens it isn't really a hard rule, just the traditional way things tend to go)
Under the surface, kitten play was a movement for women to reclaim their femininity and later we helped the sissy community and feminine gays community, occasionally even the drag community and trans community, we even have several different colored kitten pride flags that reflect the women, men, trans and drag individuals.
We've always stood in solidarity with the lgbtqai+ community, drag community and so on.
We don't get out much and I think most of us are introverts so we're not often seen at events as often as puppies or ponies. Those individuals get out far more but we're always around and lurking and have definitely had plenty of drama in defending others.
I myself even helped a sissy member when he was against a homophobe.
So for many of us, kitten play is a reclaim of femininity and a safe space to be yourself in a safe environment.