The Animal Center Inc in Newtown is teaming up with The Paw Project of Santa Monica, Calif., to educate the public about the painful and crippling effects of feline declawing through a 10-foot, 5-inch by 22-foot, 8-inch animal cruelty billboard that will be displayed along Route 25 on the Newtown/Monroe border, starting on June 26 and lasting four weeks.To learn more about preventing animal cruelty, visit pawproject.org. For more information about The Animal Center or to join the volunteer team, visit theanimalcenter.org or e-mail Monica Roberto at info@theanimalcenter.org.

A second complementary billboard was scheduled to be put up on June 23 and is located on Route 6 north of Taunton Lake Road in Newtown.

The Animal Center's Laura McHugh said, "The Animal Center strives to educate both adopters and the general public on a broad variety of topics aimed at maximizing the probability for a happy and healthy life for all cats and kittens. One of the most misunderstood, cruel, and devastating procedures performed on cats and kittens is declawing. We have found that once an individual truly understands the permanent physical and psychological effects of this practice it is no longer a viable option... If this billboard helps even one cat keep her/his claws, mission accomplished!"

Jennifer Conrad, DVM, founder and director of The Paw Project, explained, "Educating people is key in preventing cats from suffering from the cruelty of declawing. I am pleased that The Animal Center has taken on this challenge on such a grand scale."

Since 2004, The Animal Center has been rescuing, adopting, and spay/neutering as many homeless companion animals as its foster network can support. It is a no-kill, grassroots, volunteer-staffed rescue group, which does not have a shelter, that believes all animals deserve a second chance. The Animal Center is a 501(c)(3) publicly supported charity and relies heavily on the support of the public and volunteers.