Question: is a coyote part of the cat family

Answer: No, The coyote (Canis latrans); from Nahuatl pronunciation (help info)) is a canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche as the golden jackal does in Eurasia, though it is larger and more predatory, and is sometimes called the American jackal by zoologists.