A Pockels cell utilizing the effective EO coefficient γc1 of the relatively new EO crystal KTP is fabricated. Its thermo-optic properties were studied experimentally, and compensation of the static birefringence of the switch was achieved by temperature turning. Then the device was successfully used to slice and shape the 50 ns single axial mode, Nd:YLF Q-switched laser pulses. The experiments demonstrated that the KTP Pockels cell required a low half-wave voltage and had small capacitance. When driven by a pair of microstrip transmission lines, 1～10 ns pulses with almost arbitrarily tunable shapes could be obtained, and the Pockels cell was not only the simple pulse-slicing device (as usually believed before) any more. A thermally and dispersion compensated KTP Pockels cell is also discussed.