Dharma Desk: Cats are domestic animals. Many people keep cats in our country. Keeping a cat has some benefits including reducing stress, keeping the house free of mice.

Cat

Cats are allowed in Islam. Many Companions are reported to have kept cats. The condition is that the cat should be properly cared for, fed. Can't starve. On the authority of Abu Huraira (RA), the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

A woman was tortured because of a cat that she had imprisoned until it died. She entered the Fire because of it. She had neither fed it nor given it water, because she had imprisoned it, nor had she left it to eat from the vermin of the earth.

A woman is punished because of a cat. He captures the cat, where it dies. He did not keep it captive and feed it, nor let it go to eat the insects of the ground by itself. (Sahih Bukhari: 3482)

In explaining this hadith, Hafez Ibn Hajar (RA) said, Qurtubi (RA) said, from this hadith it is proved that it is permissible to keep the cat and to tie the cat, if there is no mistake in giving it food and water. (Fathul Bari: 6/412)

But petting a cat is not circumcision. Many people think that grooming cats is circumcision - this is not true. There is no acceptable description of Nabiji (PBUH) feeding a cat. Although cats used to come to the house of Nabiji (PBUH) and he did not drive them away when they came, it is clear from various narrations.

Narrated by Hazrat Anas (RA), he said, Once Nabiji went to a place called Bataan in Madinah, he asked me to bring water of Azu. I brought azu water. When Nabiji (PBUH) was about to take the water pot for ablution after completing his natural needs, a cat came and started drinking water from the water pot with its mouth. Nabiji (PBUH) waited for a while for the cat to finish drinking water. When I asked, he said, cats are domestic animals. Cat mouthing does not make water dirty or impure. (Nasbur Rayah)

It is narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said,

It is not impure, but it is one of those who go around you.

Cats are not unclean. They move around you.

Aisha (ra) also said, I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) perform ablution with the leftover water of a cat. (Sunan Abu Dawud: 76)

From these two descriptions, it is clear that the water given by the cat's mouth is not impure in general. However, if there is any impurity in the cat's mouth, the water given to the cat's mouth will be impure.