Total truth. There's a strong strain of misogyny in it, but I think personally that the moralism is secondary to the tired old trend of nerfing female characters so they can't overshadow the male heroes. Barbara Gordon's Batgirl is getting popular again because of reruns of the 60s TV show? Put a bullet in her spine. Black Cat getting so popular and prominent that the next logical place for her to go is a full-time partnership with Spidey? Give her a nonsensical plot twist that's equal parts insanity and infidelity. Fans won't shut up about Storm as an X-Men leader despite the decision to put and keep Cyclops back in that role? Marry her off and ship her off to play supporting character in some other book entirely. Cassandra Cain getting a little too popular? Make her a villain, cancel her book. The list goes on and on.
Catwoman, written correctly, is as interesting and compelling a character as Batman himself --and perhaps more so to many fans. Her concept resonates with the timeless feline plus feminine mystique that has fascinated humans from at least the first time ancient Egyptians carved a statue of the goddess Bast, plus she has the whole "evil is sexy/fun/cool and fascinating" thing going for her. She's a character who could and should be A-list and iconic in every way, except that she's a woman and a supporting character in a headliner's book. Thus, the PTB feel they have to knock her down a peg or three so that she doesn't compete with the star property. In her case, they add "dirty whore" to her character to handicap her popularity and likability. And whatever one might think of society's prejudice against prostitution, it carries enough of a stigma in the minds of the bulk of the public to do the job of tainting the character and helping "keep her in her place". And of course, if and when even that isn't enough, they can write her out, replace her, knock her up, all kind of things. That'll teach her to get too popular!