IF YOU'RE a cat-lover, prepare to sharpen your claws. Lawrence Guterman's four-legged family adventure is the most shameless piece of anti-feline propaganda ever committed to celluloid.

Cats are evil, conniving creatures with a propensity for cold-blooded murder, while dogs are noble, if slightly dim-witted beasts.

It appears that a secret war is being waged in our homes - a war that takes place unseen by human eyes.

The massed armies of the cats and the dogs are at each other's furry throats. The cats, led by the power-crazed Mr Tinkles (voiced by Sean Hayes), are planning to destroy a ground-breaking dog allergy vaccine. Naturally, man's best friends plan to stop them.

The struggle for supremacy focuses on a young pup called Lou (Tobey Maguire) who is guarding the vaccine. Lou is

guided in his quest by doggy secret agents Butch (Alec Baldwin), Peek (Joe Pantoliano) and Sam (Michael Clarke Duncan), and by the alluring Ivy (Susan Sarandon).

Who will win this fierce and bloody battle, and will the scientist who invented the vaccine (Jeff Goldblum) realise what is going on beneath his nose? Cats & Dogs is a shamelessly enjoyable romp through the action movie cliches, with a loveable pooch as the unlikely hero.

The film-makers have great fun with the concept, orchestrating Matrix-style fight sequences with ninja cats, and teary moments betwixt Lou and his boy owner (Alexander Pollock).

Hayes transforms his villain into the feline

equivalent of Dr Evil, cackling and whooping with uncontained glee as his nefarious plan comes together.

The human cast are all solid, but the stars of the show are the critters, brought magically to life with the aid of computer trickery. Some of the violence is uncomfortably near the mark - should we really be laughing at a dog running headfirst into a glass patio door?

Once you've seen Cats & Dogs, you'll never look at your pets the same way again.

Damon Smith