Dr. Jennifer Conrad, a veterinarian of exotic animals, has announced the release date of her documentary entitled The Paw Project. The film is set to premiere on September 27th and will run until October 3rd in many cities nationwide. The Paw Project was originally a foundation created by Dr. Conrad aimed at ending the debilitating procedure known as declawing. At first, Dr. Conrad worked primarily on wild cats, such as lions and tigers, in order to restore the paws that had been declawed. Overtime, she realized that domesticated cats shared in the same turmoil of declawing and thus extended her treatment to house cats.
The procedure of declawing is so controversial due to the fact that it removes parts of the bones and cartilage in each cat’s toe. The process of declawing is entirely different from the average nail clipping because it actually involves amputating the outermost joint in each paw. This serious procedure can result in several side effects such as the weakening of the cat’s arms and back overtime, continual pain, and even a maladjusted personality in the feline.
It is these harmful effects which are apparent after declawing that led Dr. Conrad to direct her first feature film based on the subject. The documentary follows Dr. Conrad on her journey across the United States in her attempts at getting the harmful surgery banned. It has also been announced that she will be present after certain screenings of The Paw Project to give a short question and answer session to the viewers.