November 25, 2015 (2015-11-25) – January 2, 2024 (2024-01-02)
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 children aged 3–8.[2][3] The series follows the adventures of four main characters: Nature Cat, Hal the Dog, Squeeks the Mouse, and Daisy the Bunny. The show has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program".[4] The series debut in November achieved nearly 3.7 million viewers, and by March it has achieved 69 million video streams across online platforms.[5] As of October 2016, Nature Cat has been renewed for a second and third season.[6] The second season premiered on January 1, 2018. Then the third season premiered on April 18, 2019. In 2021, the show was renewed for a fourth and fifth season. The fourth season premiered on May 9, 2022, while the fifth and final season premiered on April 17, 2023.[7]
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).
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.[8]
Overview
The series takes place in the suburban areas of Chicago, following Fred, a yellow house cat with dreams of exploring outside. Once his human owners leave for the day, he transforms into Nature Cat, who cannot wait for backyard nature excursions. However, Fred has one problem: he has no instincts for nature.[2] Through the learning experiences of the characters, this series intends to encourage children to similarly engage with and develop understanding of nature.
Many primary cast members are better known for their work on the hit NBC comedy sketch show, Saturday Night Live.
Nature Cat (a.k.a. Fred) (voiced by Taran Killam[2]) is the titular protagonist of the series. In the absence of his owners, Fred transforms into his alter-ego Nature Cat, narrating himself as such throughout the show. He is the main protagonist in leading a group of three other animals, 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".[10] 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.
Squeeks the Mouse (voiced by Kate McKinnon[2]) is the smallest of the main four characters - actress and comedian Kate McKinnon describes her as "a sass... but sweet and so excited at the same time".[11] At times, Squeeks can act tomboyish and sassy while on adventures, but nevertheless, she 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 has been shown to be the strongest of the group because of her ability to carry Hal. She also knows a lot of animals that are always eager to help out.
Daisy the Bunny (voiced by Kate Micucci[2]) is often carrying a smartphone for use in providing supplementary information when investigating nature. Her role is to act as the voice of reason, but nevertheless, she's mostly co-operative as the rest when venturing with Nature Cat.
Halbert "Hal" Alexander the Dog (voiced by Bobby Moynihan) is characterized as being happy most of the time and very loyal to his friends, most of all for Nature Cat. 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. He can also become blissfully unaware of when he is taken into a dangerous situation, such as becoming lost in the city of Chicago, Illinois. His capabilities as a playful dog is portrayed as him being a character that is uninhibited in approaching messy or unpleasant situations, such as digging in the ground or smelling strong odors. This comes much to the benefit of others, where he is utilized in digging holes or locating in the environment by smell. He is sometimes accompanied by an inanimate chewing toy, "Mr. Chewinsky", who he converses with when projecting his thoughts.
Ronald the Cat (voiced by Kenan Thompson[2][12] (season 1), Chris Knowings (season 2-5)) is the main antagonist of the series and Nature Cat's primary rival, who lives in the backyard next-door to him. He is competitive, arrogant, vain, lazy (often spotted lounging around in his hammock) and fairly obnoxious.
Others
Chris Parnell as Sir Galahad, The Announcer, Houston, additional voices
The series premiered on PBS Kids on November 25, 2015 in the United States, with it being the highest-rated children's premiere on the network at the time.[13] It aired on Mondays and Wednesdays but was later promoted to each weekday starting January 18, 2016.[14][15] The original run ended on January 2, 2024; however, there remains two previously announced TV movie specials that have yet to air.[16]
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, 3, 4, and 5 will be airing internationally.
