Paw Project Documentary Premieres in New York at IFC Center

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Sept. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 23, 2013:  "The Paw Project" documentary will make its premiere at the IFC Center on Friday, September 27, 2013.  "The Paw Project" is an inspiring David and Goliath story of a grassroots movement to protect felines, both large and small, from the cruelty of declawing and chronicles how the movement has prevailed, despite the efforts of well-funded professional veterinary associations.  Show times are 3:05 PM and 6:30 PM daily. There will be Q&A sessions after the 6:30 PM screening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Dr. Jennifer Conrad, founder of the Santa Monica-based nonprofit organization (also named the Paw Project), said, "These are animals we love, and with whom we share our homes. Why aren’t we being told the truth about what the declawing procedure involves?"  "The Paw Project" documentary chronicles the happy and unexpected twist of fate that led to the protection of many animals through the grassroots advocacy efforts led by Dr. Conrad and the Paw Project.

Euphemistically known as declawing, the procedure is actually a full amputation of the last knuckle of each of a cat's toes. The procedure cuts through ligaments, tendons, nerves, skin, and blood vessels and is most often performed with a guillotine-type instrument.  "Declawing" leaves cats defenseless and may result in constant pain, permanent health problems and unwanted behaviors such as biting and litter box avoidance.

Declawing is considered “unacceptable mutilation” in the United Kingdom. It is illegal in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Brazil, Australia and Poland, but it had been legal and widely practiced in the United States until West Hollywood passed their groundbreaking law in 2003.  The ban withstood a legal challenge by the California Veterinary Medical Association in The California Appellate Court.  Since then, the Paw Project has sponsored successful declaw bans in seven additional California cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Culver City, and Burbank.

In the United States today, approximately 25% of domesticated cats are declawed.  Despite the physical and behavioral harm inflicted on cats who are declawed, many veterinarians continue to recommend the procedure, for which they charge upwards of $1200 per hour, even for very young kittens.

The Paw Project has also sponsored legislation to prohibit the declawing of all captive wild and exotic cats in California in 2005.  It also sponsored a 2012 bill that  prohibits California landlords from requiring tenants to declaw their animals as a condition of tenancy.

The IFC Center Theaters are located at 323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street, New York, NY.  Phone: (212) 924-7771.

For more information about the movie, go to: www.ifccenter.com/films/the-paw-project