Duke runs away and leaves Max behind, only to come back when animal control officers chase after them. They end up in an alley where dozens of cats led by the hairless Ozone (voice of Steve Coogan) antagonize them. When they are unleashed at the park, Duke calls Max over to a hidden area and then drags him away from the park with no one noticing. Max and Duke get taken out by a dog walker along with Mel and Buddy. Max takes the opportunity to make a big mess and have Duke blamed for it so Katie can get rid of him. Duke then runs toward the wall and knocks over a vase. Duke eats food from both his bowl and Max's. The next morning, the dogs are left alone after Katie goes to work. Hurt, Duke says he'll do whatever it takes to ensure he stays in this home. Duke overhears Max barking to Katie after Duke tries to sleep in the same bed as Max. Max quickly makes it clear to both Duke and Katie how he feels about Duke being there, but Katie hopes it'll work out between the two of them. That night, to Max's horror, Katie brings home a bigger dog named Duke (voice of Eric Stonestreet).

Max is visited by Chloe, Buddy, and Mel, along with a lost guinea pig named Norman (voice of Chris Renaud). We also see Leonard the poodle being left with classic music, but he switches it to a System of a Down song when his owner leaves.

Sweet Pea is a little bird that turns on the fan and pretends to fly with jets on TV. Chloe is a fat cat that eats her owner's food instead of her own. Gidget has a crush on Max, which he is unaware of. We meet the other pets that live near Max, including Gidget (voice of Jenny Slate), Chloe (voice of Lake Bell), Mel (voice of Bobby Moynihan), Buddy (voice of Hannibal Buress), and Sweet Pea (voice of Tara Strong). After Katie leaves for work, Max just sits at the door and waits for her to come home. Max tells us how Katie found him when he was a puppy, and since then, he's had it good.

The film opens in New York City, where a little dog named Max (voice of Louis CK) is going for a bike ride around the park with his owner Katie (voice of Ellie Kemper).

The secret life of pets movie cast