, From puRRducers Monkey Noodle and Pixie Pie with CinePAWtography from such felines as Mau Mau comes American Cats: The Good, the Bad and the Cuddly.  A ‘Daily Show’ style documentary, from Full Frontal with Samantha Bee correspondent Amy Hoggart, this film is a full investigation into the practice of declawing.  

Hoggart follows the trail of this procedure, from the history of when it started until now, where some vets and public representatives are working tirelessly to get declawing banned.  Dr. Jennifer Conrad, founder of the PAW Project, is the loudest voice here and no doubt that her passion for cats has brought about great change for many.  

In my day job, I am actually a practicing veterinarian. I’m just as biased watching this film as the filmmakers are in making it. Do I believe in declawing? No. And I believe with proper client education there is no need.  If vets in the U.S. are still declawing en masse, and especially if they are still using the outdated methods discussed in this film, they need to quickly change. However, the broad generalizations they paint veterinarians with in this film are unnecessary and some of the conclusions made about our profession are shortsighted.  

This documentary serves as great education for cat owners who are perhaps unaware of what declawing can do and how integral claws are to the way felines interact with their environment. I do wish it further examined how our treatment of animals reflects on society in general.  The film has lots of cute cat images to enjoy and lighthearted banter as one might expect from Hoggart.  However, American Cats chooses to look at extremes in order to make its point, rarely focusing on the vast majority of veterinarians who, personally, are trying to help animals, not maim them.