''The Paw Project'' is a 2013

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

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 tis ...

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

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon 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, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

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 Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * 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, and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is the first installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, H ...

''. 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 tis ...

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 5 ...

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. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

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

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

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 to ...

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

and

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

. 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 an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

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; when performed on a dog debarking or bark softening; when performed on a cat demeowing or meow softening) is a surgical procedure where tissue is removed from the vocal cords ...

of pets as a condition of tenancy.

Cast

*Dr. Jennifer Conrad *

* Jackson Galaxy *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, martial artist 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 ...

endorsed the movie in September 2013, posting on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

: "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 Wendy E. Diamond is an American philanthropist, entrepreneur, and television personality. She is the founder and CEO of LDP Ventures, an investment company focused on socially responsible ventures. Diamond is also the founder of the Women's Entrep ...

as well as internet celebrity Randall of The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger viral video.

References

External links

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

Synopsis

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links