How to take care of a Cat as a Muslim
Cats have been adored in the near east since ancient times. Being Muslim religion Islam also has that tradition of having and caring pet cat, albeit in a much-modified form. In Islamic tradition, cats are praised for their cleanliness. They are considered formally clean.
Is Keeping and caring Cat Allowed in Islam?
It is allowed to keep cats in the house, and there is nothing wrong with that because cats are not harmful or najis (impure) Islam also permissible to eat food that’s first eaten by cats. According to a brief description of hadith, “It was described by Kabshah bint Ka’b, who was the daughter-in-law of Hazrat Abu Qatadah, that: She spill water for Abu Qatadah to perform ritual washing. A cat came and drank the water because of thirst and he slanted the vessel for it. Kabshah bint ka’b started looking at all this happening (in surprise), and Abu qatadah observed her surprise so replied to her by him slef, O my berother’s daughter, do you find it strange? The Messenger of Allah altready said on this that They (cats) are not impure and never impure anything of your use oe your body because they are of those who go around among you.”(Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith No. 3670).
Leftover food by Cat and Muslim:
Islam allows every Muslim to eat the food left over by Cats which is usually taught as the wrong thing and considered impure due to lack of knowledge. According to hadith and fiqqah, Aisha (R, A) ate the pudding something that was cocked that had been licked by a cat. She also explained to clarify the subject that she saw Prophet Muhammad (S.W) performing wudu from the water left over by a cat. (Sunan Abi Dawud 76). So if food licked by cats can be eaten, then it is allowed clearly that touching cats or they touch the human body is allowed in Islam.
Breaking the prayer of Muslims by cat:
Some people think that cats can invalidate the prayer by passing over someone, but it’s not true only dogs and donkeys can cause the breaking of prayer in animals. Moezza (favorite cat of Rasool e Akram (S.W) Many people believe that Mu’azza ( معزة) was Rasool’s (S.W) favorite cat. Muhammad (S.W) woke up one day to the sound of the call to prayer. After preparing to attend the prayer, he (S.W) started to dress. However, he (S.W) soon discovers his cat Moezza sleeping on the sleeve of his prayer robe. Instead of waking him up, he (S.W) used a pair of scissors to cut the sleeve, leaving the cat unharmed, which illustrates the love of the prophet was not only for human beings, but it was beyond this. He loved all creatures of God, including animals also. The Prophet of Islam was once performing ablution with a pot of water for prayer. A cat passed by and turned its thirsty eyes towards the water bowl. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) immediately realized that the cat was very thirsty, so he stopped ablution and placed the bowl in front of the cat. After quenching the cat’s thirst completely, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed ablution again with similar water vessel and from the remaining water that was left by the cat. This shows the great love of Rasool e Akram for animals.
Hazret Abu Hurairah (R.A):
Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr Ad-Dausi was the real name of Abu Hurairah (R.A). He was one of the companions of Rasool e Akram (S.A) and is considered quite closer to the prophet as he is the narrator of many hadith. He was known as Abu Hurairah, which means man having cats because of his great attachment and love for cats and having of Cats.
Caring your cat as a Muslim:
If you are a Muslim having a cat and not giving proper nutrition, that will be considered very bad. According to hadith reported by one of Rasool e Akram’s companions Abu Hurairah that he had heard Muhammad declare that a pious woman who was prayerful went to Hell after she had been annoyed by a female cat. She tied her with a rope and consciously neglected to provide her with food and water until she died. This clearly indicates that keeping cats as pets is allowed in Islam and also illustrates that if you have a cat as a pet in your home, you should have to take care of cat. So take care of your cat more than anyone else can.
