[sally]

LOL, I read this on some website:

Why does a cat spend so much time grooming?
Besides the obvious purpose of hygiene and the social aspects, grooming helps cats cope with confrontation or embarassment (you may have noticed that if a cat accidentally falls off a chair, the first thing he does is nonchalantly wash himself, as though he intended to get down in the first place.)

[Macaca]

This is my cat, "Tom." He's masha'Allah very playful and follows me around everywhere and at 3am every night he will come to my bed and rub his cheeks against mine.

[Faaris]

cats are so much better than dogs ... especially LASER CATS.
Gojira Girl - SNL - Laser Cats 2

[psychoteddybear]

salam,

i tried searching for neutering and it led me here. i'm all ready to take my cat to the clinic to get neutered and this old lady i know stops me and tells me there is a hadith that talks about a woman going to hell because she gave her cat something to eat that made it infertile. she told me that i would be taking away what Allah swt created for her, and that i couldn't take away the cat's right to breed. now i'm lost and don't know what to do.

the pros of being neutered:

a) no spraying/farting/smells from her

b) no more babies, (which i cannot afford) and no more headaches

c) my boy cat will be happy, he can do what he needs to do and not have to go out and hurt himself like he did this week (i have to take him to the vet today because he hurt his paw)

d) her chances of getting cancer & other diseases will be cut...

the cons:

a) i might burn in hell

b) (insert comment here)

i can't think of anything other than going to hell that may prevent me from doing this.

are there certified sources that talk about this? i'm googling but i want to be sure.

danggggggggggg


wa salam

[thejellymill]

i've never heard that hadith, that woman's a weirdo. the hadith is that the woman kept the cat in an area where it could not kill the insects of the earth for food and she did not give it food or water so it died and that's why she went to hell. it wasn't because she gave it something to make it infertile . spaying/neutering cats is good for many many many reasons (as i'm sure you know cuz you listed a few) and the procedure is so commonplace that there are rarely ever any complications.

don't let stupid people tell you stupid things

[psychoteddybear]

That's what scares me: misinformation. Also, I called this local imam that I know and all he could tell me was to let her breed and keep taking the kittens to shelters. I CANNOT DO THAT. Why would I contribute to the problem of excessive kitties being murdered by shelters because no one will adopt them? I simply cannot. In that sense, I'd be contributing to murder and that's not right either. So I think logically after having mulled and obsessed about this and checked a million websites, I think I should go ahead and get her neutered.

[Ayooshi]

Asalamu Alaikum,

Pyschoteddybear:
I hope the following helps? Shaikh Muhammad As-sari keeps a balanced approach in matters he discusses, you can consider the following if you wish.

wa Allahu Alim

Fi AmanAllah


Question: Dear Sheikhs, I need to know if it is permissible to have my female pet cat sterilized, because I fear that we will not be able to find homes for all the kittens she is producing. Also, my friend has a male cat that is going everywhere in the neighbourhood at night, causing all sorts of problems. People are advising him to have it neutered, since neutered cats are generally more well-behaved and tend to stay home. Also, neutered male cats do not leave urine spots everywhere in the house to mark their territory. What is the Islamic position on the permissibility of doing so? May Allah reward you for your efforts.

Answered by Sheikh Muhammad al-Sarî`, professor at al-Imâm University in Riyadh

Al-Salâm `Alaykum wa Rahmah Allah wa Barakâtuh.

You may not sterilize the female cat. It would be better if you can offer it some means of accommodation together with its litter or give it to someone who is willing to do so.

Likewise, you may not neuter the male cat.

Scholars prohibit sterilization categorically, even for animals, except in cases where there is a real necessity or tangible benefit from doing so. Keeping a pet is a mere luxury.

Al-Qurtubî states: “It is prohibited to castrate an animal except for a tangible benefit like improving the quality of meat or preventing harm.”

Al-Nawawî writes: “It is categorically forbidden to castrate animals that cannot be used for food. As for animals that can be used for food, it is permissible to castrate the juveniles but not the adults.”

And Allah knows best.

[psychoteddybear]

I cannot give them away. There is too much emotional sentiment attached to them. We intend to keep them with us forever. Keeping a pet is a luxury? Yes perhaps. But in some ways I don't see it that way as these cats provide love and warmth to me and my sister and that is something we need right now. Not to sound like an emotional basketcase, but we couldn't part with them, we love them too much. So what can I do? These imams say this, and these imams say that. What do I do? I just don't want to be punished later on, or have my baby hate me for this. ....and if I do give her to a shelter, she may get euthanised as I'm not sure how many people would want to adopt such a cat.

Here they are, my mamma bear and pappa bear....

[thejellymill]

The fatwa says

“It is prohibited to castrate an animal except for a tangible benefit like improving the quality of meat or preventing harm.”

NOT "castrating" (neutering/spaying) IS preventing harm (i.e. the kittens would most likely be homeless and be killed because nobody wants them). That is a greater cruelty in itself to bring an animal into the world knowing it will be homeless, hungry and/or killed. There are too many cats already looking for homes that cannot find them, why bring more into the world so they can suffer the same way?

EDIT: also i just realized the sheikh is from Saudi where the general attitude and treatment of animals is different so it would be better to find an american sheikh's answer to this..

EDIT 2: Islam-qa provides a lot more sides than just one, there is a difference of opinion concerning "fixing" animals so it really depends on which scholar or madhab you choose to follow Islam Question and Answer - De-clawing a cat so that it won’t do any damage, and neutering/spaying cats

There is also a comment on neutering cats: “If neutering cats will bring some benefit or ward off some harm, then there is nothing wrong with it, as it says in al-Kubra.”

(al-Fawaakih al-Dawaani, 2/346)

[rahma]

OMG, I may be getting a cat this weekend!!!##$@@@@@@@ I've been waiting since I got married 3 years ago. I thought it would be nice if we could adopt a cat together, you know, bonding activity and all. Alas, I married a very stubborn man.

But, the man is finally growing tired of my mooning of kitties. I visit petsmart every weekend and take pictures with the shelter kitties there, and then force him to look at them all.

So he called me and asked if I got a cat, would I stop whining and finally be happy?


Any tips for a first time cat owner? I've already read and re read Think Like a Cat, but I'm scared to death that I'll do something wrong.

[rahma]

On the neutering question, this fatwa says it's ok.

However, according to another tradition, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is said to have permitted the sterilization of an animal so long as the operation is carried out early in its life and not when the animal reaches maturity. Hence, it may be acceptable to neuter pets such as cats, particularly if one wants to prevent the birth of a multiplicity of unwanted kittens.”

[Macaca]

Originally Posted by thejellymill

The fatwa says



NOT "castrating" (neutering/spaying) IS preventing harm (i.e. the kittens would most likely be homeless and be killed because nobody wants them). That is a greater cruelty in itself to bring an animal into the world knowing it will be homeless, hungry and/or killed. There are too many cats already looking for homes that cannot find them, why bring more into the world so they can suffer the same way?

EDIT: also i just realized the sheikh is from Saudi where the general attitude and treatment of animals is different so it would be better to find an american sheikh's answer to this..

EDIT 2: Islam-qa provides a lot more sides than just one, there is a difference of opinion concerning "fixing" animals so it really depends on which scholar or madhab you choose to follow Islam Question and Answer - De-clawing a cat so that it won’t do any damage, and neutering/spaying cats

Salam Aleikum.
Also castration helps with the cats being less territorial. Cats make a lot of noise during mating season and the ones who are castrated/neutered will not do that.

[Saladin]

Did you know cats can catch AIDS? It's called Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.

[afrakabob]

i wrote a postcard to my best friend's cat