When veterinarians gathered for the annual American Veterinary Medical Association conference in St. Louis, they were met by  members of the St. Louis Animal Rights Team (START), who wanted to know why the organization continues to support mutilating cats' paws to please their owners. PETA, START, and other groups have been taking the AVMA to task for years for its refusal to condemn declawing.

Declawing is not just an extreme manicure. It is 10 amputations of cats' toes, removing the last joint of each digit. In addition to enduring the excruciating pain of the surgery itself, declawed cats can have difficulty walking; experience weakening of the back, shoulder, and leg muscles; have been known to stop using the litterbox; and often become withdrawn, irritable, or aggressive.

Declawing cats to keep them from scratching is comparable to mutilating dogs' vocal chords to keep them quiet. Yet the cruel procedure of debarking is something that 92 percent of people oppose. We wouldn't lop off our children's fingers for getting into things or have our babies de-vocalized for crying, so why would we mutilate our companion animals? Nearly two dozen countries—including Australia, Japan, and England—have banned or restricted declawing, and many veterinarians refuse to perform this cruel surgery for the sake of human convenience.

While scratching is a natural and necessary feline behavior, there are many ways to protect furniture and belongings without resorting to having cats' toes chopped off. Providing suitable places to scratch—such as sisal, wood, or cardboard scratching posts—and protecting furniture with double-sided tape or covering cats' nails with Soft Paws nail covers are all easy and affordable options. (Find more tips in PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's book 250 Things You Can Do to Make Your Cat Adore You.)

If you know someone who is intent on acquiring a feline animal companion only to mutilate the cat's feet, please remind him or her that animal shelters are full of declawed cats who have been discarded and who would love to have a home.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

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Back in June, appalled Tennessee residents alerted PETA to the fact that the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) was advising people to cruelly and illegally drown or starve trapped wildlife or to asphyxiate the animals using car exhaust. PETA pressured both TWRA Director Ed Carter and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen to intervene. In response, TWRA agreed to PETA's request to develop humane guidelines for handling wildlife and to train staff members to advise residents who call about trapped wildlife only to use methods that are approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association!

This is a major breakthrough for wild animals who might otherwise be killed in torturous ways because property owners choose not to coexist peacefully with them.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) held its annual convention in Seattle this weekend and—despite public outcry—allowed attendees to participate in a dead-fish toss.

I don't know about y'all, but when I'm looking for an "outrageously fun" time, I go dancing. I don't throw around corpses. So to remind the AVMA that sea kittens feel pain just as dogs and cats do—and to provide a memorable image of the suffering that the AVMA willingly supports—we held a stunning demonstration in front of the conference for all attendees and Seattleites to see:

Our eye-catching display reminded people that the AVMA was responsible for suffocating sea kittens.

Is it just me, or did the guy in the middle kind of luck out with the seating arrangement?

Weekend shoppers and media personnel spent much of their time admiring these "dead fish."

In the words of PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman, "The AVMA is a trade group that often sides with animal abusers, not with animals. People expect more from the very people who are charged with helping and protecting animals."

Hopefully the attention-grabbing demonstration armed people with some future lifesaving knowledge.

Written by Christine Doré

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The American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) annual conference starts July 10 in Seattle. On the agenda is a pitch for the AVMA to change its current opposition to ear-cropping and tail-docking and give a thumbs-up to the painful procedures.

Say what?!

Our friends at NYCVet.org alerted us to a recent issue of the Journal of the AVMA, which revealed that the Utah Veterinary Medical Association (UVMA) wants the AVMA to reword its official position on ear-cropping and tail-docking. Instead of opposing these practices across the board, UVMA wants the AVMA to change its stance as follows:

Ear Cropping and Tail Docking of Dogs
The AVMA opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done solely for cosmetic purposes. Although cosmetic ear cropping and tail docking of dogs has little or no therapeutic basis, it is a procedure that is condoned by the American Kennel Club and by many members of society. It is imperative that the procedures be performed by trained, licensed, and caring veterinarians using current standard of care. The AVMA encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from in breed standards. Members of the AVMA will conform to all state mandates concerning the procedures.

Um, here's a newsflash—cruel ear-cropping and tail-docking have been banned in countries around the world because they are purely cosmetic, hurt like hell, and have no benefit whatsoever to the animal. We hope that the AVMA holds strong and doesn't decide to become even less caring about animals than it already is.

Written by Karin Bennett

agrip / CC

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)—the same group that refuses to denounce the cruel force-feeding of ducks and geese for foie gras or the confinement of mother pigs to metal crates barely larger than their own bodies—have yet again proven that their hearts are as cold as their stethoscopes.

The AVMA plans to team up veterinarians and employees of Pike Place Fish Market for a dead fish sea kitten toss at its upcoming convention in Seattle. The event organizers promise that the event will be "outrageously fun."

Come again?

My gut tells me that the AVMA wouldn't dare try to organize a dead cat toss—so why not show the same consideration for sea kittens? The AVMA is turning a blind eye to the deaths of billions of sea kittens who suffocate on boat decks or are cut open while they are still conscious—all thanks to the cruel fishing industry. And those sea kittens feel pain, just like land kittens do.

Conventiongoers could get a uniquely Seattle experience by spending a few hours at the Experience Music Project and then visiting the Space Needle—a fun and cruelty-free afternoon.

Written by Karin Bennett