Like many (most...dare we say, 'all' even?) of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the late 50's/ early 60s, Top Cat is an homage to a 1950s TV comedy series - The Phil Silvers Show (1955-1959) - also known as Sgt. Bilko.  Top Cat premiered in 1961 and ran for 30 episodes.  It can still be seen in syndication and on video to this day!