Naturediver, I don't think we are on opposite side on the matter of protecting animal's welfare. I just have to clarify that most people in the animal industry are not cruel.
I have worked in the dairy industry, and the egg industry. I remember my boss who instructed me on how to care for about 60,000 hens when he was on vacation. We walked the hen's cages, and if he spotted a rooster, he would take it out, throw it ALIVE into the manure pit. The living rooster simply would float on the liquid manure, and eventually die of thirst. I was not in the position at the time to disagree. When I find a rooster, I pull its neck to break it - and after it is dead, I throw it down the manure pit.
When I did walk the cages... I pulled about 50 dead hens the first day - from being trampled by their pen mate when their toes get caught. It is a cruel life for these hens, and declawing ( a method condemned by the animal right folks) might prevent them from getting caught. In the same way, the animal rights folks detest debeaking. But birds by instinct pecks at anything red. Given the bright light of the egg farms (stimulate egg production), animals not debeaked would peck at combs and nostrils of one another - until they barely have half a face left - and still be alive. Debeaking minimizes the trauma - and blood - which only fuels the instinctive drive to peck at anything red. Again, they said that debeaking is done without anesthesia. But anesthesia is not possible with tiny hatchling chicks. And when was the last time a mother complained that her newborn son was circumcised without anesthetic?
I think a little more education on both sides, and a little less emotions will yield much improvement in how animals are cared in this country. Many animal lovers own cats.... And many let their cats roam outside. One would only observe how much devastation and destruction an undeclawed (even declawed ones can too) cat can do on bird nests, bird houses, and wild life. And they don't just kill - they torture, torment, and play with their prey until the prey die from exhaustion or slow internal trauma.
And yet, when asked to confine their animals - these people often say - that is cruel, and unnatural. We can do much to prevent cruelty to wild animals simply by keeping cats and dogs indoor.