Cats & Dogs

At the home laboratory of Professor Charles Brody, his wife Carolyn, and son Scotty, the family's pet Bloodhound Buddy chases a cat and is captured by other cats in an ambush. Dogs and cats are revealed to be highly intelligent, tech-savvy enemies capable of speech, waging war with covert operatives while concealing their true nature from humans. After an Anatolian Shepherd dog named Butch reports Buddy's capture to his superiors, the best canine agents are dispatched to complete Buddy’s mission: to prevent cats from making all humans allergic to dogs.

At a local barn, a litter of Beagle puppies mock the youngest for trying to escape captivity. A Doberman Pinscher agent replaces the litter with puppy agents, failing to notice the youngest Beagle. The Brodys arrive to adopt a new dog and Carolyn selects the Beagle, naming him Lou after Scotty sarcastically suggests the name "Loser".

After detonating an explosive trap laid by cats for Lou, Butch – mistaking him for a trained operative – brings him to the dogs’ underground network, and introduces agents Peek, a Chinese Crested Dog, and Sam, an Old English Sheepdog. Realizing Lou is a civilian, Butch raises his concerns to his superiors but is rebuffed. Lou is briefed on the origins of the conflict between cats and dogs, dating back to Ancient Egypt. Butch reveals that Buddy has escaped the cats and the spy trade, retiring to a condo in Boca Raton.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tinkles, a white Persian cat, plans to exploit Charles’ research on dog allergies to conquer the world. His scheming is interrupted by Sophie, his comatose owner’s maid, who enjoys dressing Tinkles in embarrassing costumes. Tinkles orders his sidekick Calico, an Exotic Shorthair, to send Devon Rex ninjas to steal the research. Lou foils the theft and meets former agent and Butch's ex-sweetheart Ivy, a Saluki who encourages him to bond with Scotty.

Mr. Tinkles contracts a Russian Blue mercenary named Dimitri Kennelkoff, who tricks Lou and places a bomb on Brody’s lab door. Kennelkoff battles Lou and Butch, damaging the Brodys’ house until Butch disables the bomb and captures Kennelkoff. During interrogation, the dogs recover a note by Mr. Tinkles from Kennelkoff’s stomach.

After a breakthrough involving Lou playing with Scotty, Charles' machine finally finds the formula to a cure for human allergies to dogs. Having bugged the house, Mr. Tinkles, and Calico spring a trap for the Brodys. Mr. Tinkles travels to a Christmas tree flocking plant and sends the employees home, and lures the Brodys with faux tickets to an exhibition game between Uruguay and Chad, capturing the family.

The dogs receive a video from Mr. Tinkles demanding Charles’ research as a ransom for the Brodys, and dogs around the world assemble at a meeting led by the Mastiff. When the assembly decides not to surrender the formula, Lou confronts Butch. Revealing that he was abandoned by his owner, the unsympathetic Butch leaves Lou behind. Desperate, Lou brings Mr. Tinkles the research and is double-crossed. Butch, realizing what has happened, stages a raid of Mr. Tinkles' factory where mice are being prepared to spread the mass-produced allergy.

While Butch, Ivy, Peek, and Sam fight Tinkles' cat forces, Lou frees the Brodys and Calico, who was betrayed by Tinkles, revealing to the family that he can speak. Lou defeats Tinkles but is struck by an excavator as an explosion destroys the factory. Butch rescues the seemingly dead Lou, tearfully admitting that Lou was right to love his adoptive family, and Lou awakens. He decides to return to a normal pet’s life with the Brodys until he can serve as a full-grown agent.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tinkles is sent to live with Sophie and her three sisters, with even more humiliating outfits as punishment.

In the alternate ending, Sophie instead takes Mr. Tinkles to a pet hospital to be neutered, but the cats intercept her and Tinkles makes his escape.

• Jeff Goldblum as Professor Charles Brody
• Elizabeth Perkins as Mrs. Carolyn Brody
• Alexander Pollock as Scotty Brody
• Miriam Margolyes as Sophie the Maid

The Brody house was filmed at an actual house: 1661 W 45th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia. Butch's house was also filmed at an actual house: 6238 Churchill Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. The soccer stadium was filmed at the Pacific Coliseum. Mr. Mason's house was filmed at Craigdarroch Castle, in Victoria, British Columbia. Other scenes were filmed at Playland (PNE).

The rest of the film was shot at the bat cave in Burbank, California. Lou's doghouse was Stage 1, Mr. Mason's office and the interior of the tree flocking factory was Stage 2, and the international meeting with the dogs was Stage 3. Parts of the Brody house were filmed on the studio backlot.

Cats & Dogs was released with the classic Looney Tunes short "Chow Hound" which was also seen in the movie itself. Cats & Dogs was released on VHS and DVD on October 23, 2001.[2] The alternate ending that shows Sophie instead taking Mr. Tinkles to a pet hospital to be neutered was also included as one of the extras.

Cats & Dogs is a 2001 soundtrack on this film by composer John Debney.

A sequel titled Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore entered production in September 2008 under the direction of Brad Peyton and was released on July 30, 2010. Michael Clarke Duncan, Joe Pantoliano, and Sean Hayes reprise their roles as Sam, Peek, and Mr. Tinkles while Nick Nolte and Wallace Shawn replace Alec Baldwin and Jon Lovitz as Butch and Calico; and Charlton Heston, who voiced The Mastiff from the first film, died from pneumonia on April 5, 2008. In this film, Lou is now an adult and is voiced by Neil Patrick Harris. James Marsden, Christina Applegate, and Bette Midler voice new characters named Diggs, Catherine, and Kitty Galore.

• Cats & Dogs on IMDb
• Cats & Dogs at AllMovie
• Cats & Dogs at Box Office Mojo
• Cats & Dogs at Rotten Tomatoes
• Cats & Dogs at Metacritic