Cats Vs. Robots is a children's book series by Lewis Peterson and Margaret Stohl.
For centuries, the Great Feline Empire and the Great Robot Federation have been at war with each other. Why? Even THEY can't remember. They just know they both want to win. Earth has been completely unaware of this war, though, and neither side really considers them a threat...
That is, until a new chip is invented on Earth.
The "Singularity Chip" as it's called has the power to extend battery life indefinitely. For cats, it means more than nine lives. For robots, it means no longer needing to recharge. Of course, both sides want the chip.
Said chip is located in the house of the Wengrod family, made up of the scientist mother and father, and the twin kids Min and Max. The parents are called away to a factory in China to deal with a problem that seems to have come up, leaving the kids in the care of their older cousin, Javi. While they're away, Max finds a couple of stray kittens floundering about in the river, rescues them, and decides to bring them home. This is a problem, though, as the Wengrods are more into robotics than animals, especially cats. However, Javi agrees to let them stay in the basement for a few days.
Meanwhile, the GFE and GRF's field agents, the elderly cat Obi and the Wengrod house's AI, "House", are both contacted to bring them the chip. Obi recruits Max's new kittens, a plump, dark grey male cat named Stu and his skinny Calico sister Scout, telling them to bring him the "SparkleTreat" before the robots can destroy it. House recruits the Protos, a gang of homemade household robots the Wengrods built, to protect the home from the feline threat the kittens represent so they can secure the chip. Effectively, the Wengrod house becomes ground zero for a battle that could decide the fate of the universe.
There are currently two books in the series.
Book 1: This Is War
Book 2: Now With Fleas
The book was published on September 4th, 2018.
Cats Vs. Robots contains examples of:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: House, the Artificial Intelligence the Wengrods had installed into their home. He came included with a bunch of features the Wengrods weren't aware of because they didn't read the Terms and Services page before agreeing to install him. As a result, he has unlimited access to all the Wengrods' info, even personal stuff they want to keep to themselves. And that was before the Great Robot Federation made him their mole.
- Alliterative Name: The Vice President's name is Parker P. Pants.
- Berserk Button: Vice President Parker P. Pants doesn't like to be called "P.P." Pants. When the president calls him that, he flew into a rage and shouted at him "Do NOT call me PEE PEE PANTS!"
- Brain Upload: Turns out, this is what the Singularity Chip is capable of. The Wengrods use it to copy Obi's brain into a new robot body.
- The Caligula: The rulers of both the Great Feline Empire and the Great Robot Federation are this. Chairman Meow prefers to laze about on his throne of cat towers, and SLAYAR simply wishes to admire all angles of himself in a bunch of mirrors.
- Cute Kitten: Stu and Scout, the kitten siblings Max saves from the river and brings home.
- Fantastic Racism: Despite House being their spy at the Wengrod household, the Great Robot Federation doesn't think all that highly of AIs because they don't have a body.
- Then there's the tension between Cats and Robots in general.
- Plus, neither side thinks that highly of humans.
- Fantastic Slur: Robots refer to cats as "Four-leggers".
- Both cats and robots call humans "Two-leggers". Cats refer to them as "Furless".
- Freudian Excuse: Giffen M.E. Huggs was orphaned as a kid and went to live with his grandfather, who was a very cold man who was never satisfied with how much money Giffen earned. It drove Giffen to become the CEO of Globotech, and a man who is never satisfied with what he already has.
- Fun with Acronyms: The ruler of the Great Robot Federation is codenamed SLAYAR, which stands for Supreme Leader of All, Yes All, Robots.
- The Wengrod family's self-driving car is named, of course, CAR (Computerized Automotive Responder).
- Gasshole: Giff M.E. Hugg's pug, Dig Doug, is a frequent farter.
- MacGuffin: The Singularity Chip, which can extend the life of a battery indefinitely. Both the Great Feline Empire and the Great Robot Federation want it.
- MegaCorp: Globotech, a worldwide conglomerate in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. They created the House AI that the Wengrods use in their house.
- The Mole: House serves as this for the Great Robot Federation, and Obi is this for the Great Feline Empire.
- Potty Emergency: Stu needed to pee while in the robotics laboratory. All he knows is "go in the box". Luckily he finds one. Unluckily, it's Elmer.
- Punny Name: The Great Feline Empire's top agent is named Pounce De Leon
.- The CEO of Globotech is named Giffen "Giff" M.E. Huggs, and his grandfather was Gavin "Gaff" N.O. Huggs.
- There's also President Hardy Quinn, and his Vice president P.P. Pants. Just don't call him that to his face.
- Raised by Grandparents: Giffen was raised by his grandfather Gavin after his parents died. Gaffen was a very cold person.
- Team Mom: Joan the hover drone, being the first and oldest of the Protos, serves as this to them.
- To Be Continued: "This Is War" ends with the Wengrods about to set out to rescue Obi after he gave himself up to General Beeps.
- Versus Title: Naturally.
