LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ —

The Paw Project, a non-profit animal advocacy organization, has unveiled a dramatic new billboard intended to educate the public about the harmful consequences of feline de-clawing. Located on the southeast corner of Sunset and San Vicente Boulevards in the City of West Hollywood, California, the billboard, which reads, “If You’re for De-clawing Cats, Raise Your Hand,” depicts a human hand with each finger severed at the last joint, providing a graphic and anatomically-correct representation of the de-claw surgery performed on cats.

Banned or considered unethical in many countries worldwide, de-clawing surgery is commonly performed in the U.S. to prevent cats from scratching furniture. Since a cat’s claw grows from within the last bone of its toe, de-clawing requires an amputation at the last “knuckle.”