When Laura Cochrane was in 6th grade, she remembers her family cat, Tiffany, going in for a big surgery called “The Spay/Declaw Package.” She recalls nursing her cat back to health and vividly remembers the bloody bandages on Tiffany’s paws. Even at age 11, something didn’t feel right about declawing, and it stuck with her.
Later in life, Laura would decide to become a veterinarian, but it wasn’t until after graduating from vet school that she began to really explore the truth behind declawing. When entering the profession of veterinary medicine, every vet takes the “Veterinarian’s Oath” and vows to “do no harm”, and to Dr. Cochrane that included NEVER performing a declaw surgery.
Dr. Cochrane worked in private practice for several years then in shelter medicine and high volume spay/neuter. Eventually, she took on the role of Managing Director at 1st Care Animal Health Clinics in LA, establishing some of the highest standards of care for a mobile vaccine and preventive care clinic. Dr. Cochrane realized that cat owners needed more support when it came to inappropriate scratching. She launched Dr. Kind Klaws, an in-home service that provides cat nail maintenance, including nail caps and monthly nail trims. Dr. Cochrane is excited to expand Dr. Kind Klaws to her new home of Portland.