New Line Cinema
Starring: Ally Sheedy, Lance Henriksen
Directed by: John Lafia

This review contains a severe Kitty Carnage Warning!

Cat Out of the Bag Alert!  This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: News reporter Lori Tanner (Ally Sheedy) breaks into an experimental lab and rescues a dog named Max, not realizing that he is actually a dangerous hybrid.

Kitty Cameos: At the beginning of the film several classic paintings and block drawings of dogs interacting with man (in both good ways and bad) are shown. In among these is a drawing of two fighting cats being thrown into some kind of ring.

A couple of cats can be be seen in the lab. A tabby is startled when a woman’s bloody shoe is thrown against its cage. This is because the woman is being torn apart by Max.

Kitty Carnage Warning! Later when Lori and her camerawoman break into the lab they film several animals which have been injured or maimed, including one little gray and white kitten which is bloody. It should be noted that while all the experiments shown are faked, they are very distressing for any animal lover.

Featured Feline:  Max is well behaved around Lori (at first) and even makes friends with the neighbor boy Rudy (J.D. Daniels). Rudy takes Max out for a run and meets up with his friend Chet (Bradley Pierce). As they are going down the street they spot an orange tabby cat nearby which hisses at them.

Chet points out that it is Mrs. Barclay’s stupid cat Boo. Neither boy likes Boo and Rudy notes that the cat always tries to scratch him. The boys look at each other and have the same idea, telling Max to get the cat.

This sets off a chase with Max racing after Boo.

Eventually Boo runs up a tree. But Max is no ordinary dog and he extends his claws to climb the tree. This startles Boo as well as the boys.

Boo scrambles farther up the tree but has nowhere left to go. He turns to face Max.

Kitty Carnage Warning!  Of course Boo doesn’t stand much of a chance. The boys watch in shock as Max proceeds to eat Boo. Yes, the dog eats the cat! Then belches. Rudy and Chet blame each other for the event and then hurry away.

According to the American Humane Association, during the chase scene the cat and dog actors were kept a safe distance apart and were running for treats. In the scene in which Max eats Boo, an obvious fake dog’s head was used. The cat actor climbed through the dog’s mouth and then his trainer pulled him back into the mouth to create the necessary effect. While the cat actor was likely not hurt, it certainly looked awkward and uncomfortable on film!

Final Mewsings: Cats give dogs indigestion.

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