IF YOU'RE a cat lover then sharpen your claws.

This four-legged family adventure is the most shameless piece of anti-feline propaganda ever committed to celluloid.

Cats are evil, conniving creatures who murder nice garden birds, while dogs are noble friendly beasts.

What's more, it appears a secret war is being waged in our homes - and one that is 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 canine 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 lovable pooch as the unlikely hero.

The film-makers have great fun with the concept, orchestrating Matrix-style fight sequences with ninja cats, and tearful interludes between Lou and his young owner (Alexander Pollock).

Sean Hayes transforms his villain into the feline equivalent of Dr Evil, cackling and whooping with uncontained glee as his wicked plan comes together.

As for the human cast, they're for the most part solid.

But the stars of the show are undoubtedly the animals, brought magically to life with the aid of computer wizardry.

Some of the violence is uncomfortably near the mark. Should we really be laughing at a dog running headfirst into a glass patio door? asked my cousin's little girl, acting as infant co-critic.

One thing is certain.

Once you've seen this opus, you'll never look at your household mutts in quite the same way again.