Film

 Cats are heavily featured (alongside dogs) in one of my childhood favorite movies, Cats and Dogs (2001). In this film, cats are the villains of the world, trying to get rid of their long arch enemies, the dogs. Through antics and delicately-crafted plots, the cats unsuccessfully try to make all humans allergic to dogs so they can take over as "man's new best friend." Although unlikely, a message that the film could have intended is that cats are "evil" and dogs are "good." It may also reinforce the idea that dogs are loyal and honest while cats are conniving and untrustworthy. However, I don't think these are actual messages intended by filmmakers since I think they are just trying to make a comedy for kids. It makes perfect sense to pick these two species for the plot of the movie, since cats and dogs are typically seen as natural enemies, and are the two most popular companion animals today.

Meet the Parents (2000) and its sequel, Meet the Fockers (2004), are movies intended for adults and in which a cat is involved in a small part of the plot. Ben Stiller plays Gaylord "Greg" Focker, who is meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time (in the sequel, his girlfriend meets his parents). His biggest obstacle is  impressing her father, Jack Byrnes, an ex-CIA agent. Jack has a cat named Mr. Jinx, whom he loves like his own family member. In both movies, Mr. Jinx provides a point of contention between Greg and Jack (or between the two families).

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Again, I think a cat was used specifically for this role because of its perception in society as being more mischievous and "evil" (Jinx seems to intentionally make Greg's life harder) in nature. As with the other movie, I don't think that the use of a cat in this role had any intended messages other than for the purposes of comedy. 

In the movie made for kids, cats are very much anthropomorhized by having the ability to speak and do human-like activities, such as taking on the role of "secret agents." They use technology and tools and are capable of planning an evil plot. In the movies made for adults, the cat is slightly anthropomorphized - it seems to have a slight understanding of what the other characters are saying or doing and even knows how to use the toilet, but for the most part it remains in the role of an animal.