Nature Cat

*Nature Cat*
Nature Cat
	Title card
Genre	Children's television series; Animated sitcom; Adventure; Comedy; Musical
Created by	Adam Rudman; David Rudman; Todd Hannert
Voices of	Taran Killam; Bobby Moynihan; Kate Micucci; Kate McKinnon; Kenan Thompson; Chris Knowings;
Theme music composer	Bill Sherman
Opening theme	"Nature Cat Theme Song", performed by Taran Killam, Christopher Jackson, and Veronica Jackson
Ending theme	"Nature Cat Theme" (instrumental)
Composers	Stuart Kollmorgen; Doug Califano;
Countries of origin	United States; Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	98 (186 segments + 5 specials) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Adam Rudman; David Rudman; Vince Commisso (seasons 1–3); Steven Jarosz (seasons 1–3); Blake Tohana (seasons 2–3); Heather Walker (seasons 4–5);
Producers	Caroline Bandolik; Frances Nankin; Jesse McMahon; Scott Scornavacco;
Running time	28 minutes (12 minutes per segment)
Production companies	Spiffy Pictures; WTTW Chicago; 9 Story Media Group (seasons 1–3); Yowza! Animation (seasons 4–5)
Original release
Network	PBS Kids
Release	November 25, 2015 –; January 2, 2024

Nature Cat is an educational animated children's television series that aired from November 25, 2015, to January 2, 2024, on PBS Kids and is aimed at preschoolers and early elementary children aged 3 to 8. The series follows the adventures of four main characters, Nature Cat, Hal the Dog, Daisy the Bunny, and Squeeks the Mouse. The show has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program". The series debut in November achieved nearly 3.7 million viewers, and by March it has achieved 69 million video streams across online platforms.

In October 2016, Nature Cat was renewed for a second and third season. The second season premiered on January 1, 2018, while the third premiered on April 18, 2019. In 2021, the show was renewed for a fourth and fifth season. The fourth premiered on May 9, 2022, and the fifth and final season premiered on April 17, 2023. The series has aired five standalone specials, with the newest releasing on April 3, 2025.

On June 5, 2018, the first DVD Onward and Pondward was released. Tomy owns the toy license to Nature Cat, and has released several stuffed animals of the main characters.

Reruns of Nature Cat aired on the PBS Kids block on PBS until July 4, 2025. The show still airs on the PBS Kids 24/7 channel.

Overview

Set in the suburbs of Chicago, the series follows Fred, a yellow cat with dreams of exploring nature, but being a house cat, no instincts for the outside world.. Once his family leaves for the day, he transforms into his alter-ego Nature Cat and sets off on backyard outdoor adventures with his animal friends. Through the learning experiences of the characters, this series intends to encourage children to similarly engage with and develop understanding of nature.

Episodes

Season	Segments	Episodes	Originally released
Season	Segments	Episodes	First released	Last released
1	76	38	November 25, 2015 (2015-11-25)	September 15, 2017 (2017-09-15)
Specials	N/a	5	June 19, 2017 (2017-06-19)	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)
2	40	20	January 1, 2018 (2018-01-01)	April 17, 2019 (2019-04-17)
3	30	15	April 18, 2019 (2019-04-18)	June 4, 2021 (2021-06-04)
4	20	10	May 9, 2022 (2022-05-09)	September 23, 2022 (2022-09-23)
5	20	10	April 17, 2023 (2023-04-17)	January 2, 2024 (2024-01-02)

Characters

Main

Nature Cat (a.k.a. Fred) (voiced by Taran Killam) is a yellow house cat and the titular protagonist of the series. When his owners are not home, Fred transforms into his alter-ego Nature Cat, narrating himself as such throughout the show. In this form, he wears a green tunic with a bronze sash and a green hat with a red feather. He is the leader of the Nature Buddies, frequently using the expressions "tally-ho!" and "onward and yonward!" when initiating and continuing his adventures, lending to his optimistic and cheerful attitude in encouraging enthusiasm for the natural world. Actor and comedian Taran Killam appraises Nature Cat as a positive character for children, describing his handling of adversity as "a great example of when you fall down you get back right up... and try it again". He will occasionally drop from his "Nature Cat" persona where, much like a regular housecat, he can suddenly become nervous or frightened. This can include having to interact with water, lamenting "why did it have to be water?", but in these situations he ultimately ends up finding confidence to persist. When Fred turns into Nature Cat his clothes are all green.
Halbert "Hal" Alexander Dog (voiced by Bobby Moynihan) is an orange Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with brown ears. He is always willing to partake in Nature Cat's outdoor excursions and share discoveries even if he initially doesn't understand them. Hal is generally absent-minded, becoming a source of comic relief where he may respond to others with non-sequiturs or muddled reasoning thought out loud, but can also become blissfully unaware of when he is taken into a dangerous situation. His canine capabilities make him uninhibited in approaching messy or unpleasant situations, such as digging in the ground or smelling strong odors. He is often accompanied by an inanimate chewing toy, "Mr. Chewinsky", who he converses with when projecting his thoughts. Actor and comedian Bobby Moynihan describes him as "kinda represent[ing] the kid in all of us that's like, 'I gotta get out there, I gotta do this, I gotta do this!'. Anything Nature Cat wants him to do, if it's an adventure, he's on board".
Daisy (voiced by Kate Micucci) is a white and pink bunny who is often the voice of reason of the Nature Buddies. She usually carries a smartphone for use in providing supplementary information when investigating nature. Actress, comedian and musician Kate Micucci describes her as "a really sweet bunny, and she's like the middle child of the group. She's a very innocent character and she's very sweet".
Squeeks (voiced by Kate McKinnon) is a blue and pink mouse who is the smallest of the Nature Buddies. Actress and comedian Kate McKinnon describes her as "a sass... but sweet and so excited at the same time". At times, Squeeks can act tomboyish and sassy, but she nevertheless stays focused at the task at hand. Though she is the smallest, she doesn't stop being a daring, fearless nature explorer. She is a reliable mouse who is always up for adventure and isn't afraid to get dirty. She also knows a lot of animals that are always eager to help out.
Ronald (voiced by Kenan Thompson in season 1, and Chris Knowings in seasons 2–5) is a lilac overweight tabby cat and Nature Cat's primary rival, living in the backyard next-door to him. Ronald is competitive, arrogant, fairly obnoxious, vain, and lazy, often lounging around in his hammock. Actor and comedian Kenan Thompson describes him as "always trying to outdo Nature Cat because he knows that Nature Cat's awesome and everybody likes him".

Others

Chris Parnell as Sir Galahad, The Announcer, Houston, additional voices
David Rudman as Leo the Mammoth, additional voices
Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Alice the Butterfly, additional voices
Bobby Lee as MC Ferret
Kate Micucci as Granny Bunny, the grandmother of Daisy
James Monroe Iglehart as Michael Bluejay (a takeoff on Michael Buble)
Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Gracie the Toad, Sadie Dog, Rat, additional voices
Joey Rudman as Jimmy Cat, Jingles, Steve Vole, additional voices
Joey Mazzarino as Cruiser
Fred Armisen as Herbert the Hermit Crab, additional voices
Rachel Dratch as Flo the Heron, Lulu Ladybug
Cobie Smulders as Nature Dog
Dennis Singletary
Tom Blandford
Richard Traub
Lauren Lapkus as Lola the Flamingo
Chris Jackson
Cecily Strong as Petunia Bunny, a friend of Daisy, additional voices
Lena Hall and Tony Vincent provide the vocals for "Dog Gone" (during interlude segments and two episodes (currently))
Emily Lynne as One Eared Winnie (a.k.a. Gwendolyn), Nature Cat's long-lost twin sister; additional voices
Jeanne Fishman as Kathy, a spiny lobster.
Jack Shulruff
Crystal Monee Hall, Marcus Paul James, and Kristina Nicole Miller as an off-screen chorus for the song "Can You Dig It?!"
Erica Broder as Leeza, a lizard
Tyler Bunch as Twig Stickman, Johnny Spins
Chris and Martin Kratt as Chris and Martin Batt
Paul Rudolph
Bill Sherman
Paul F. Tompkins as Chandler the Toad, additional voices
Frankie Cordero
Carmella Riley
Reggie Miller as Reggie the Toad
Caroline Bandolik as Leslie
Frank Cesario
Jerry Rudman as Jeremiah the Woodchuck
Seth Humerick
Ego Nwodim as Gritty Cat and the Bumblebee Queen
Tommy Rudman

Broadcast

The series premiered in the United States on PBS Kids on November 25, 2015, with it being the highest-rated children's premiere on the network at the time. It aired on Mondays and Wednesdays but was later promoted to each weekday starting January 18, 2016. The original run ended on January 2, 2024.

International broadcast

The series aired on Family Jr. and Family Chrgd in Canada, Discovery Kids in Latin America, E-Junior in the United Arab Emirates and TG4 in Ireland for season 1. It is currently unknown when seasons 2-5 will be airing internationally.

Discography

The show's soundtrack, The Green Album, was released on February 16, 2018 through BMG Rights Management (which also owns the song publishing rights to Nature Cat).

Albums

The Green Album (2018)

Singles

"Theme Song"
"Clouds"

References

↑ Although Season 1 technically has 40 episodes, two episodes are omitted from this total count, as they are "Part 1" and "Part 2" of the one-hour "Ocean Commotion" special.

External links

Nature Cat at IMDb
Official website

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Credits :: Nature Cat". pbskids.org. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "New PBS Kids Series Nature Cat Will Premiere November 25, 2015". Public Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015.
↑ PBS KIDS [@PBS KIDS] (May 13, 2015). KIDS/status/598491888035831808 "Nature Cat designed for kids 5 to 10 and inspired by Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods. - Sara Dewitt #PBSam #PBSKIDS" (Tweet). Retrieved March 25, 2016 – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
↑ "PBS and PBS KIDS Receive 44 Daytime Emmy® Nominations". pbskids.org. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
↑ "Nature Cat is a new PBS Kids Series Produced by Spiffy Pictures". blog.toonboom.com. Toonboom Blog.
↑ "PBS KIDS greenlights Nature Cat for two more seasons". Retrieved May 9, 2021.
↑ "Nature Cat, Season 5". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 14, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ "TOMY Introduces Nature Cat Toy Line • The Toy Book". The Toy Book. February 22, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
↑ "Highland Park brothers create hit 'Nature Cat' cartoon for PBS". Chicago Tribune.
↑ "NATURE CAT Taran Killam Interview". YouTube. PBS KIDS. January 14, 2016.
↑ "NATURE CAT Interview with Bobby Moynihan". YouTube. PBS Kids. January 13, 2016.
↑ "NATURE CAT Interview with Kate Micucci". YouTube. PBS Kids. January 7, 2016.
↑ "NATURE CAT Interview with Kate McKinnon". YouTube. PBS Kids. January 14, 2016.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Nature Cat full cast and crew". IMDb. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
↑ "NATURE CAT Interview with Kenan Thompson". YouTube. PBS Kids. January 5, 2016.
↑ "Nature Cat - Work". Brown Bag Films. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
↑ "PBS KIDS to Premiere All-new One-hour NATURE CAT Special". www.pbs.org. Arlington, VA. December 17, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
↑ "Nature Cat Debuts on SDPB in November". SDPB. November 5, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
↑ "PBS Greenlights 'Nature Cat' Seasons 4 and 5". Animation World Network. August 3, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
↑ The Green Album (Music from the Original TV Series) by Nature Cat, February 16, 2018, archived from the original on August 29, 2018, retrieved August 29, 2018

[10] Although Season 1 technically has 40 episodes, two episodes are omitted from this total count, as they are "Part 1" and "Part 2" of the one-hour "Ocean Commotion" special.

[credits-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Credits :: Nature Cat". pbskids.org. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.

[Cast-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "New PBS Kids Series Nature Cat Will Premiere November 25, 2015". Public Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015.

[PBSKIDS_Twitter-3] PBS KIDS [@PBS KIDS] (May 13, 2015). KIDS/status/598491888035831808 "Nature Cat designed for kids 5 to 10 and inspired by Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods. - Sara Dewitt #PBSam #PBSKIDS" (Tweet). Retrieved March 25, 2016 – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

[4] "PBS and PBS KIDS Receive 44 Daytime Emmy® Nominations". pbskids.org. Retrieved March 25, 2016.

[Toonboom-5] "Nature Cat is a new PBS Kids Series Produced by Spiffy Pictures". blog.toonboom.com. Toonboom Blog.

[6] "PBS KIDS greenlights Nature Cat for two more seasons". Retrieved May 9, 2021.

[rotten-7] "Nature Cat, Season 5". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 14, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[8] "TOMY Introduces Nature Cat Toy Line • The Toy Book". The Toy Book. February 22, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2021.

[S1-no.-9] "Highland Park brothers create hit 'Nature Cat' cartoon for PBS". Chicago Tribune.

[11] "NATURE CAT Taran Killam Interview". YouTube. PBS KIDS. January 14, 2016.

[12] "NATURE CAT Interview with Bobby Moynihan". YouTube. PBS Kids. January 13, 2016.

[13] "NATURE CAT Interview with Kate Micucci". YouTube. PBS Kids. January 7, 2016.

[14] "NATURE CAT Interview with Kate McKinnon". YouTube. PBS Kids. January 14, 2016.

[imdb_cast-15] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Nature Cat full cast and crew". IMDb. Retrieved February 28, 2016.

[16] "NATURE CAT Interview with Kenan Thompson". YouTube. PBS Kids. January 5, 2016.

[17] "Nature Cat - Work". Brown Bag Films. Retrieved January 20, 2024.

[18] "PBS KIDS to Premiere All-new One-hour NATURE CAT Special". www.pbs.org. Arlington, VA. December 17, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2024.

[19] "Nature Cat Debuts on SDPB in November". SDPB. November 5, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2024.

[20] "PBS Greenlights 'Nature Cat' Seasons 4 and 5". Animation World Network. August 3, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2024.

[21] The Green Album (Music from the Original TV Series) by Nature Cat, February 16, 2018, archived from the original on August 29, 2018, retrieved August 29, 2018

Nature Cat
Title card
Genre	Children's television series Animated sitcom Adventure Comedy Musical
Created by	Adam Rudman David Rudman Todd Hannert
Voices of	Taran Killam Bobby Moynihan Kate Micucci Kate McKinnon Kenan Thompson Chris Knowings
Theme music composer	Bill Sherman
Opening theme	"Nature Cat Theme Song", performed by Taran Killam, Christopher Jackson, and Veronica Jackson
Ending theme	"Nature Cat Theme" (instrumental)
Composers	Stuart Kollmorgen Doug Califano
Countries of origin	United States Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	98 (186 segments + 5 specials) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Adam Rudman David Rudman Vince Commisso (seasons 1–3) Steven Jarosz (seasons 1–3) Blake Tohana (seasons 2–3) Heather Walker (seasons 4–5)
Producers	Caroline Bandolik Frances Nankin Jesse McMahon Scott Scornavacco
Running time	28 minutes (12 minutes per segment)
Production companies	Spiffy Pictures WTTW Chicago 9 Story Media Group (seasons 1–3) Yowza! Animation (seasons 4–5)
Original release
Network	PBS Kids
Release	November 25, 2015 (2015-11-25) – January 2, 2024 (2024-01-02)