American Cats: The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly Review
Streaming Movie Review - Documentary - VOD
When we think about cats, we’re probably thinking about our furry companions. But in Todd G. Bieber’s documentary, American Cats: The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly, now on VOD, he and host Amy Hoggart take a look at the laws and practices that continue to allow for the pain and suffering of animals that many perceive as family members.
American Cats is a deep dive into the practice of declawing household cats. Despite the practice being banned in nearly every country, the United States has continued to allow it. The surgery involves removing the first joint of a cat’s paw, since the claw is part of the bone. It is a relatively quick surgery and is quite profitable, averaging $900 per animal, so there is a push in a number of veterinary practices to keep it going.
The film focuses on Dr. Jennifer Conrad, a long-time advocate for banning the practice of declawing cats, which has made her a hated figure among veterinarians. Her archnemesis in this has been Peter Weinstein, a representative of the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association). He seems to question whether or not cats are that bothered by the procedure. He also defends the right of veterinarians to continue to profit from this, regardless of how it impacts the cats.
What American Cats does well is to show that the place of animals as pets has evolved over the years, but how pets are treated has not kept up. Animals were initially treated as tools or property. Animals provided a service, and veterinary practices were established to ensure that these tools continued to function properly. As animals moved into the position of pets and cherished family members, the laws did not keep up with that shift. In many areas, animals are still considered property by the law, and Dr. Jennifer explains that her malpractice insurance is in no way comparable to that of a physician because her clients are still considered property.
The tone in American Cats can sometimes feel a bit jarring. Amy Hoggart brings a sense of lightness and humor to the documentary, which can feel contradictory to the darker aspects of the film. Her voiceover and interviews are insightful, but there is some emotional whiplash as the narrative shifts from a humorous take on how the AVMA treats cats to a vet who has been keeping a jar of bone fragments from cats that are left in their paws after a botched or incomplete declawing.
It’s hard to consider American Cats: The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly an entertaining documentary, though it does have a number of fun elements. But it is most assuredly an informative piece of filmmaking. I learned things that I didn’t know about how some veterinarians view cats, and how that conflicts with how many people see these pets. Regardless of what you know or what you learn from the film, it is a reminder that cats feel pain and they deserve to keep their claws.
Rating: 4/5
Find more information about declawing and how to help stop it at The Paw Project.
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on June 21, 2025.