The Paw Project Inc.
(POB 445, Santa Monica, CA 90406), 2012.
60 minutes. Available in multiple formats. $10.00 donation requested.
Available c/o: http://www.pawprojectmovie.com/
Reviewed by Debra J. White
The Paw Project video opens with mobile veterinarian Jennifer Conrad treating de-clawed captive wild cats such as pumas and tigers in southern California sanctuaries. The big cats’ former owners de-clawed them so they would be easier to handle, as if de-clawing could turn a mountain lion into a house cat––but the big cats eventually wound up in sanctuaries anyhow.
After performing surgeries to relieve pain and infection in the big cats’ paws, Conrad’s attention turns to the domestic cat. De-clawing (onychectomy) involves amputation of toes at the last joint. A portion of bone is removed. In addition to immediate bleeding, pain, and swelling, long-term complications can result such as lameness, arthritis, and refusal to use a litterbox.
The Paw Project explains de-clawing, who is against it, and who––surprisingly––supports it. The film educates the viewer about de-clawing and demonstrates Dr. Conrad’s passion to end a cruel and unnecessary practice that may serve a human need, but harms our feline friends.
(See also Declawing, ear-cropping, & tail-docking: more nasty legacies from dogfighters, by Merritt Clifton.)
Related Posts
- New York bans declawing cats; Massachusetts next?
- Animal rescue amid wildfires at either end of California
- All cats want for Christmas are their two front paws (and hind paws too, intact)
- Declawing, ear-cropping, & tail-docking: more nasty legacies from dogfighters
- Cat books for the holiday season
- The Old Man and the Cat, by Nils Uddenberg
I am very happy to see the release of a film exploring this overlooked animal welfare topic. While I have encountered fewer individuals with declawed cats, people still do it, out of the mistaken belief that it’s the only way to protect their furniture or their children from the cat.
Oddly enough, the most vocal proponents of declawing I’ve encountered are furniture salespeople! At times when I’ve been looking at furniture and trying to decide what’s best for a home with pets, I get the old–“Buy what you want! Just get your cats declawed!” I wonder what they suggest for homes with children, who can be far more destructive than cats!