That's Cat was a children's television show that premiered on Saturday, September 18, 1976. ^[1] It was both produced by and aired on KNBC , the NBC owned and operated (O&O) station in Los Angeles, California ; it was also syndicated to selected NBC O&O stations. ^[2]

That's Cat was created by Executive Producer Giovanna Nigro-Chacon who wrote the weekly feature "Grandpa". Ms. Nigro-Chacon also wrote and produced the only special in the series - the hour-long "That's Cat Christmas". She received a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award nomination for her work.

The show's first episode credits Susan Cuscuna (co-producer), Perry Krause (co-producer), and Myra Cohen as writers. It starred Alice Playten (as "Alice"), Frank Cala (as "Me", a mime), and Whitman Mayo (as "Grandpa"). ^{[1] [3]} The show interspersed segments involving stories, music, humor, and various learning-centered activities. The word "Cat" in the title is connotatively used in place of "Cool."

The show's first episode debuted at 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, a move intended to interest parents. The second episode aired in its regular Sunday morning 8:00 a.m. time slot the following day. That same night, a compilation episode of segments from the first two episodes aired at 6:30 p.m. ^[1] The show moved to the 7:30 a.m. time slot a few episodes later. ^[4]

Among the more notable features of the first episode was a segment with a song in Spanish; a clip of Woody Allen describing where mustard comes from (likely from a 1970 NBC series Hot Dog ); and a feature on the importance of garbagemen. ^[1]

The show's theme song ("That's Cat") was sung by John Sebastian , who also sang the theme song to the 1970s TV show Welcome Back Kotter , and his son, who echoed the words "That's Cat", during the repeated chorus. The lyrics begin with:

Hey Pumpkin, come along with me

Been thinkin' 'bout some things to see

Take a look at this and that

We'll find something that's cat

That's Cat - That's Cat

It a-means that you like that!

Like an Indian drum or a kiss from your mom,

or gettin' something under your hat...

Recurring segments on the show included "Can you find 'Me/me' in this picture" ("Me" being "Alice's" sidekick on the show); and a segment where "Grandpa" spoke directly to the camera offering sage advice in a sweet manner to the main character, Alice.

The show received a nomination for a 1976 Los Angeles Area Emmy award (for film editor Donn Hoyer). ^[5] In 1979, a Los Angeles-based consumer group?Coalition on Children and Television?selected the show for an award for excellence. ^[6]

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