Fortunately, Nature Cat’s animal pals – Squeeks the mouse, Hal the dog, and Daisy, a super-cute pet rabbit – are at his side to share in his deep love for Mother Nature, passion for exploring the great outdoors, and swashbuckling wanderlust of old-fashioned backyard adventure. Voiced by an all-star line-up of comedic actors, including Saturday Night Live stars Taran Killam (Nature Cat), Kate McKinnon (Squeeks), Bobby Moynihan (Hal) and Kenan Thompson (Ronald); and Kate Micucci (Scrubs, The Big Bang Theory) as Daisy; Nature Cat characters are like real kids who depict real-life personality traits of the show’s audience:

• Fred (Nature Cat) represents the majority of our viewers. He’s eager and enthusiastic about outside exploration and activities, but he is also a little clueless and even intimidated by it.
• Hal represents kids who may be more impulsive and like to run wild but forget to stop and enjoy the view.
• Squeeks is at home outside, as many kids still are, and she is a great model for how fun, interesting and cool the outdoor world can be and how to share that with other kids.
• Ronald represents our viewers who, for various reasons, are reluctant to go outside and interact with nature. But once they do, they see how much fun it is.
• Daisy represents our viewers who have a hard time “unplugging” from their technological devices, yet are still excited to join the nature adventures.

Educational Benefits of Nature Cat

Created, written, and designed by the renowned and respected creative team at Spiffy Pictures, Nature Cat incorporates aspects of Earth science, life science, environmental science, and physical science. Each episode of Nature Cat is designed to teach a specific lesson about nature in a fun and exciting way. The goal is to motivate children to be inspired to go outside and "play the show."

Episode topics include hunting for fossils, identifying animal tracks, growing a garden for butterflies, harnessing wind to sail a boat and many more.

The Nature Cat television series is part of a multi-platform learning experience. Digital games, hands-on DIY activities, and parent resources are available at pbskids.org and via mobile app. Digital content helps to inspire children’s curiosity and excitement about nature and the mobile experience provides tools to encourage and support exploration and engagement with the natural world.

Partnerships with children’s museums, zoos, and parks across the country allow for engagement outside of the home.

Key Goals

• Increase children’s understanding of age-appropriate concepts related to the natural world
• Motivate children to observe, ask questions, and investigate the natural world in the neighborhood and beyond
• Provide meaningful ways for parents and teachers to help children learn about the natural world
• Promote awareness of the need for environmental stewardship and conservation

Every episode in this hilarious new PBS KIDS series follows Nature Cat and his pals as they embark on action-packed adventures, perilous missions, nature investigations, “a-ha” discovery moments, and loads of humor. Each half-hour consists of two unique, independent 11-minute stories plus a live-action interstitial featuring real kids and their outdoor discoveries.

Bottom line: There are some lessons that can only be learned outside. Nature Cat is getting kids so excited to interact with nature that they can't wait to get off the couch and get outside.