Figaro is a name with serious operatic credentials and an equally serious Disney pedigree, and on a cat it's among the most culturally loaded choices available. The mischievous kitten in Pinocchio (1940) gave the name to a generation of American cats, and the opera's clever, resourceful barber gave it depth for owners who know their Rossini. Both layers are present whenever the name appears.
The Disney Cat
Figaro the kitten was Geppetto's pet in Disney's Pinocchio — a black-and-white cat with a bow tie who became one of the studio's early breakout animal characters. Walt Disney liked Figaro so much he had him replace Fifi as Minnie Mouse's pet for a period. Any cat named Figaro today carries that cheerful, slightly self-important energy. Black-and-white cats are the obvious candidates, though the name works on any cat with theatrical tendencies.
The Opera Layer
Rossini's The Barber of Seville and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro feature the same clever servant-barber who outwits his social superiors through wit and resourcefulness. Figaro's signature song "Largo al factotum" (essentially, "everyone needs me, I'm indispensable") describes most cats to a remarkable degree. Owners who choose the name knowing the opera are making a precise observation about their animal's self-regard.
Sound and Character
Figaro is three syllables with a rolling R and an open final A that gives it an operatic quality even in casual use. It's impossible to say without a slight flourish, which is appropriate for a cat. Compare Maestro and similar theatrical names at the pet name explorer.