What's in a name

I have multiple nicknames. Untangling why I am the way I am would kill an entire afternoon and I have better things to do, like reading back issues of Star Wars Insider or trying to figure out the whole River Song storyline on Doctor Who.
(You've established your geekiness, Kate. Move on--Kate)
I've been toying with the idea of going back to my grade-school nickname of "Katy." In a weird twist of fate, I never knew another "Kathryn" in grade school, high school, and college. Not until my second "real job" did I start running into other "Kathryns." I knew plenty of "Katherines," "Catherines," Kaitlyns," etc.—and therefore, plenty of "Katies" and "Kates." But I was the only "Katy."
In high school, I started going by my family nickname of "Kassie" (boring story about why someone named "Kathryn" was nicknamed "Kassie") partly because I was tired of being lost in a sea of "Katy/Katies" and partly because from sixth through eighth grade, I also had to endure being called "Katy-Cat."
There's nothing wrong with the name "Kat" (or "Cat"). Hurray for people named "Kat/Cat." What drove me nuts was:

• I wasn't being called "Katy-Cat" or "Kat" (like the cranky girl in 10 Things I Hate About You). No, I was being called "Katy-Cat rrow!" 
• You know, like a real cat.
• All the time for three goddamn years

Look, I know it's a stupid thing to still remember after all these years. But when you're an awkward pre-teen who's extremely insecure about everything, and your classmates decide to assign this one attribute to you and then run it into the ground, you get a little touchy about it. 

And that is why I tell people, I will respond to any nickname you give me except "Kat" or "Katy-K(C)at." God help you if you choose that moniker.

"But Kate, aren't you being a little silly about this?"

Perhaps. I'm the first to admit that I'm generally not a straight-up bitch about things. Except for this. 

Hi, my name's Katy. What's yours?