Yes, Eorzea has cats (and dogs). There are NPCs of other races who I have seen refer to Miqo'te as kittens, so I'm sure there are jokes. My own character tends to take offense to those jokes, but I'm not sure if NPC Miqo'te do. Some may just milk it for what it's worth to get what they want out of someone. The ones who are more tribal in nature also use words that are more animal-associated (mane, for example, for hair), so it's not really surprising that some NPCs just see them as another kind of cat. 
The racial differences in this game are interesting. While Eorzea is a melting pot, the races still appear pure, which has always lead me to believe that when they do interbreed the child will take the main race/clan trait of one or the other parent. You don't see Lalafells with cat tails, or even something like a Miqo'te who is clearly a Keeper of the Moon by skin tone with slitted pupils.
Culturally, there are plenty of stereotypes, as you've noticed the dancing/prostituting Miqo'te thing - however there are plenty that do not adhere to them as well (and there are Hyur prostitutes too! I found some!). SE has said one of the reasons that the reason cross-breeds are rare is due to cultural differences between the races. It would be hard, I imagine, for a traditional tribal Miqo'te to marry someone they love, when she grew up in a society in which there is one male to thirty females? As Rhynka pointed out, there are indeed "city Miqo'te" from what I've seen.
There's also plenty of racism between races, which is incredibly entertaining to me to see in quest lines. One that comes to mind because I just saw it the other day during beta was the Wildwood Elezen who was incredibly disgusted by a Keeper of the Moon's archery. Saying she was not fit to use a bow, desecrating his noble art, etc. Plenty of tolerance though, too..
My own character I made intentionally distant from the "traditional" Miqo'te, because when I created her I had no lore to use and didn't want to just hijack the lore from XI. Upon finding out that's what SE did, I decided her grandparents were the ones who left the tribal life. I had her grow up on a boat, with her mother and a bunch of sailors, mostly Hyur. She sought out other Miqo'te when she went to the adventuring life. Since meeting many and seeing how many of those of her race are, she has developed a dislike of them. And the males, she's always disliked (daddy issues+meeting some rather unsavory ones in RP). Which is hard, because she was raised to be proud of being a Miqo'te.
..I'm completely rambling. But seeing people embrace racial differences in this game is something I really like.
The racial differences in this game are interesting. While Eorzea is a melting pot, the races still appear pure, which has always lead me to believe that when they do interbreed the child will take the main race/clan trait of one or the other parent. You don't see Lalafells with cat tails, or even something like a Miqo'te who is clearly a Keeper of the Moon by skin tone with slitted pupils.
Culturally, there are plenty of stereotypes, as you've noticed the dancing/prostituting Miqo'te thing - however there are plenty that do not adhere to them as well (and there are Hyur prostitutes too! I found some!
). SE has said one of the reasons that the reason cross-breeds are rare is due to cultural differences between the races. It would be hard, I imagine, for a traditional tribal Miqo'te to marry someone they love, when she grew up in a society in which there is one male to thirty females? As Rhynka pointed out, there are indeed "city Miqo'te" from what I've seen.There's also plenty of racism between races, which is incredibly entertaining to me to see in quest lines. One that comes to mind because I just saw it the other day during beta was the Wildwood Elezen who was incredibly disgusted by a Keeper of the Moon's archery. Saying she was not fit to use a bow, desecrating his noble art, etc. Plenty of tolerance though, too..
My own character I made intentionally distant from the "traditional" Miqo'te, because when I created her I had no lore to use and didn't want to just hijack the lore from XI. Upon finding out that's what SE did, I decided her grandparents were the ones who left the tribal life. I had her grow up on a boat, with her mother and a bunch of sailors, mostly Hyur. She sought out other Miqo'te when she went to the adventuring life. Since meeting many and seeing how many of those of her race are, she has developed a dislike of them. And the males, she's always disliked (daddy issues+meeting some rather unsavory ones in RP). Which is hard, because she was raised to be proud of being a Miqo'te.
..I'm completely rambling. But seeing people embrace racial differences in this game is something I really like.
