This is a pretty typical MGM Harman-Ising, with the title characters being excessively cute and brainless puppies. We're initially set up with a cat-versus-dog format, but it turns out the cat actually loves the rascally pups and has not only a conscience, but either maternal or paternal (the cat's gender isn't indicated) feelings for the dopey little things.
It's kind of weird that the cat's voice is virtually identical to that of Disney's Donald Duck, who was introduced three years before and soon became almost as popular as Mickey Mouse. There are feline meows and yowls in place of quacking, but aside from that Kitty and Donald seem to speak the same language.
Another thing, the ferocious bulldog roars like a lion! Never barks. Certainly makes it more menacing. The pups are inspired to show a brief flash of cunning in plotting to rob this formidable monster, but that soon passes.
The dogcatcher is played for pure silent-screen slapstick, which was still abundantly familiar to audiences of the time, and in that spirit we won't worry about anyone being injured or killed in the multiple car crashes! It's only a cartoon, after all.
It's hard to pin down any moral center to this; it all starts with an innocent accident that escalates into chaos, and after that evidently the pups can't be held responsible for any destruction they cause since after all they're only babies, and babies must be protected at all cost.
All in all a typical MGM offering, but with some atypical touches and not completely over the top on the Cutometer.
Review of The Wayward Pups
