''The Paw Project'' is a 2013

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

that focuses on the

declawing Onychectomy, popularly known as declawing, is an operation to remove an animal's claws surgically by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges, or end bones, of the animal's toes. Because the claw develops from germinal ti ...

of both exotic and domesticated cats in the United States. The film follows the crusade of

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

Dr. Jennifer Conrad, who campaigns to have declawing bans enacted in a number of cities. The Paw Project is also the name of the nonprofit organization founded by Conrad over the course of the film.

Synopsis

Dr. Jennifer Conrad is a veterinarian who treats animals in Hollywood. She focuses on large exotic cats that are used in films or shows or live in animal sanctuaries. One of her patients is the fully declawed tiger who appears in the 2009 film ''

The Hangover ''The Hangover'' is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips, co-produced with Daniel Goldberg, and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is the first installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy. The film stars Bradley Cooper, E ...

''. Conrad finds that the cats she is working with are suffering greatly because of elective

onychectomy Onychectomy, popularly known as declawing, is an operation to remove an animal's claws surgically by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges, or end bones, of the animal's toes. Because the claw develops from germinal t ...

surgeries, commonly known as declawing, that are being performed on them. Often these surgeries are undertaken with the intent on making the animal safer to work with, but, ironically, make the animals more irritable and can change their behavior. Conrad pays for eight large exotic cats with her own money to undergo surgery to help repair their declawing operations that have left them unable to walk without pain. She realizes that the scope of declawing is much more than she can handle alone, and eventually sets up a

501 (c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

charity called the Paw Project to help fund surgeries for these large cats. Conrad then goes on to focus on domestic cats in the film as well, citing that up to 22 million cats are currently declawed in the United States alone. ''The Paw Project'' follows Conrad through attempts in California to ban declawing procedures. In 2003, the city of

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

became the first city in the United States to ban declawing. Conrad worked closely with Mayor

John Duran John J. Duran is an American municipal politician and a former mayor of West Hollywood, California. Political career Duran was elected to the City Council on March 6, 2001. He succeeded outgoing City Council member Paul Koretz, who was elected to ...

to help this pass against opposition from many veterinary associations. Eventually, legislation is passed in seven more Californian cities, including

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, Burbank,

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

and Culver City. The film includes a listing of the countries in where declawing is illegal, including Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and others. The main message of the film is to raise awareness and for the United States to make declawing illegal. Since the filming of ''The Paw Project'', the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

had enacted a ban on the declawing and defanging of wild and exotic carnivores. The Paw Project organization and Conrad are continuing work for legislation that would make declawing illegal for domestic cats as well. In 2012, the Paw Project sponsored legislation that prohibits landlords from requiring declawing or

devocalization Devocalization (also known as ventriculocordectomy or vocal cordectomy and when performed on dogs is commonly known as debarking or bark softening) is a surgical procedure performed on dogs and cats, where tissue is removed from the animal's voca ...

of pets as a condition of tenancy.

Cast

*Dr. Jennifer Conrad *

Jackson Galaxy Jackson Galaxy (born April 28, 1966, as Richard Kirschner) is a cat behaviorist, YouTuber, and the host of the television show ''My Cat from Hell''. Early life Jackson Galaxy was born Richard Kirschner, on April 28, 1966 to a Jewish refugee fat ...

*Dr. Aubrey Lavizzo

Reception

''The Paw Project'' has overall received positive reviews from its reviewers. It has been called "an inspiring David and Goliath story of a grassroots movement" and "A beautiful film. A powerful revolution." ''Deep Roots'' magazine said "this is a movie that was fashioned with great care, skill and passion, a flick that bespeaks such precision and wise gambits that it seems too glib, maybe even too inaccurate, to use the word 'flick'." ''Deep Roots'' was followed by Animals Today Radio, who issued the statement about ''The Paw Project:'' "The film is a moving and inspiring account of the cruelty of feline declawing and the efforts to ban it." The Portland Book Review said "Everyone needs to see this stunning documentary. The images will break your heart, while at the same time reminding you how beautiful these creatures truly are. This documentary will motivate you to speak up for all animals who can’t speak for themselves." Actor

Kellan Lutz Kellan Christopher Lutz (born March 15, 1985) is an American actor and model. He made his film debut in ''Stick It'' (2006), and is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series (2008–2012). He has since played Pos ...

endorsed the movie in September 2013, posting on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

: "Hey team, take a moment and check out @PawProject. This inspiring story aims to increase awareness of the cruelty of declawing." ''The Paw Project'' was also endorsed by television personality and animal advocate Wendy Diamond as well as internet celebrity Randall of

The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger ''The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger'' is a YouTube viral video and Internet meme that first appeared on the Internet in January 2011. The video features commentary by a narrator identified only as "Randall", dubbed over pre-existing Nat Geo Wild foo ...

viral video.

References

External links

Official movie websiteWebsite of the Paw Project anti-declawing campaign
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paw Project, The 2013 films Films about cats American documentary films 2013 documentary films Documentary films about animal rights Films about animals 2010s English-language films 2010s American films

Synopsis

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links