What Should I Do if I Can No Longer Care for My Cats?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

We have nine cats at home, three of them females who give birth every three months, and the strain on our family has become serious: financially, in terms of space, and in terms of cleanliness. Local animal rescues have not responded.

What may we do to reduce their number without harming them? Where can we responsibly place them, and how do we balance mercy to animals with our family’s well-being?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate

Your concern is real, and seeking a solution does not mean you lack mercy. You are permitted to rehome your cats, whether by giving them as gifts or by selling them. You may also have them neutered. The Shariah does not require you to keep every cat born in your home.

What is the Sunna with Cats?

Begin where the Sunna begins. Abu Qatada (Allah be pleased with him) tipped his water vessel for a cat to drink, and said that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) had said, “She is not impure. She is only one of those who go about among you.”

Imam Tirmidhi (Allah have mercy on him) grades it rigorously authenticated. [Tirmidhi] Keeping cats, and keeping them well, is a sunna.

They are not yours, though, the way your furniture is yours.

Allah Most High says: وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَـٰٓئِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّآ أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم “For not a single creature is there on earth, nor any bird flying on its wings, save they are nations like you.” [Quran 6:38; Keller, The Quran Beheld]

Imam Qurtubi (Allah have mercy on him) reads the likeness this way: they are communities like you in that Allah created them, took their provision upon Himself, and dealt justly with them, so you should not wrong them, nor go beyond what you have been commanded regarding them. [Qurtubi, al-Jami li-Ahkam al-Quran]

Both halves bind: they are Allah’s, so you may not wrong them, and your duty stops where the command stops.

The Seriousness of Animal Rights

What the command contains, Imam Khadimi (Allah have mercy on him) sets out in his commentary on Birgivi’s al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya.

Relating from Qadikhan that an animal’s claim is graver than one man’s against another, he concludes: “So care is binding. It is not killed, nor struck without cause; and with cause, its face is not struck.

It is not loaded or ridden beyond its capacity, and its fodder and its water are not left off.” [Khadimi, al-Bariqa al-Mahmudiyya]

Every duty there is a duty of care. None is a duty to keep.

Weigh what the warning actually names.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told of a woman punished over a cat: “She confined it until it died, and so entered the Fire because of it, for she neither fed it nor gave it water while she held it, nor let it go to eat from the creatures of the earth.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

Holding and starving. Not letting go.

Selling Them Is Permitted by Agreement, and Gifting Is Faster

Imam Ibn Maza (Allah have mercy on him) holds that selling a useful cat is permitted by the agreement of the Hanafi jurists. [Ibn Maza, al-Muhit al-Burhani] A gift is equally sound and usually quicker.

Satisfy yourself that whoever takes one will look after it; once you have handed a cat over in good faith, its care is that person’s trust before Allah, not yours.

Begin by letting people know about your cats. Do not wait for rescues to respond. Share their need for homes in your masjid’s groups and on its noticeboard, in neighborhood and school parent groups, with local vet clinics and pet shops, and on local classified sites.

Speak directly to family, neighbors, and the parents of your children’s friends. Most cats find homes through personal connections. In many places, there are people who want cats, and some may even pay for a healthy one.

Neutering Is Permitted Where It Averts Real Harm

Ibn Maza explains that neutering a cat is permitted when there is a benefit or harm averted. If there is no benefit, it is not allowed. [Ibn Maza, al-Muhit al-Burhani; Qadikhan, Fatawa Qadikhan]

Having nine cats multiplying every three months is exactly the kind of situation the jurists considered. Arrange for the three females to be seen by a qualified vet. This step, along with rehoming, will help bring the cycle to an end.

Mercy to These Cats Includes Mercy to Your Household

You accepted a mercy that has now grown beyond your means. This is not a failure in your religion. The Shariah does not place your family in opposition to kindness to animals; it calls you to both.

Your family has a true right over you, and caring for them is an act of worship. This week, call the vet and share about the cats in at least three places.

Kindness to an animal, as Imam Qurtubi says and Khadimi relates, erases sins and magnifies rewards, and the Prophetic mention of watering an animal extends to every kindness, including feeding. [Khadimi, al-Bariqa al-Mahmudiyya]

Finding each of these cats a home where it will be fed is that kindness, nine times over.

And Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Related Answers

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Is It Permissible To Buy And Sell Cats?
Buying and selling animals is generally permitted, and this was practiced in the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Cites Fath al-Qadir, Radd al-Muhtar, and al-Ikhtiyar, and adds that keeping pets is permitted so long as their rights are upheld, with excellence in their care being Sunna.

Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf Mangera, Is It Permissible to Euthanize or Neuter Your Pets?
Castrating an animal is permitted where a benefit is derived or a harm averted, citing Fatawa Hindiyya 5:357. It expressly states that when there is nowhere to send the kittens, and they have become a nuisance, spaying is permitted. Also holds that an owner may not have a suffering pet killed.

Mawlana Ilyas Patel, Can We Keep Cats as Indoor Pets?
Keeping a cat indoors is permitted, with reward and real benefit. Cites the hadith of Abu Qatada (Allah be pleased with him) that cats are not impure, along with Tirmidhi’s note that this is the position of the majority, and points the reader to Mulla Ali al-Qari’s treatise on the love of cats.

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad, Is It Permissible to Neuter or Spay Stray Cats?
Addresses a colony of stray cats breeding into sickness and death. Presents the Shafiʿi school’s position, which distinguishes animals whose meat is eaten from those whose meat is not, and stipulates that the procedure must not kill the animal. Noted here as a cross-school reference, not as the Hanafi ruling above.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance.

Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan.

In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era.

Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs.

Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.” This book, published by White Thread Press in 2004, is a significant contribution to Islamic literature.

His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.

النصوص · Source-Texts

[الترمذي، الجامع، حديث ٩٢، باب ما جاء في سؤر الهرة، ١/١٥٣ ـ ١٥٤]

«حدثنا إسحاق بن موسى الأنصاري حدثنا معن حدثنا مالك بن أنس عن إسحاق بن عبد الله بن أبي طلحة عن حميدة بنت عبيد بن رفاعة عن كبشة بنت كعب بن مالك وكانت عند بن أبي قتادة أن أبا قتادة دخل عليها قالت فسكبت له وضوءا قالت فجاءت هرة تشرب فأصغى لها الإناء حتى شربت قالت كبشة فرآني أنظر إليه فقال أتعجبين يا بنت أخي فقلت نعم قال إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إنها ليست بنجس إنما هي من الطوافين عليكم أو الطوافات وقد روى بعضهم عن مالك وكانت عند أبي قتادة والصحيح بن أبي قتادة قال وفي الباب عن عائشة وأبي هريرة قال أبو عيسى هذا حديث حسن صحيح وهو قول أكثر العلماء من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم والتابعين ومن بعدهم مثل الشافعي وأحمد وإسحاق لم يروا بسؤر الهرة بأسا وهذا أحسن شيء روى في هذا الباب وقد جود مالك هذا الحديث عن إسحاق بن عبد الله بن أبي طلحة ولم يأت به أحد أتم من مالك»

[ابن الأثير، جامع الأصول ـ عن البخاري ومسلم]

«عُذِّبَتِ امْرَأَةٌ فِي هِرَّةٍ سَجَنَتْهَا حَتَّى مَاتَتْ، فَدَخَلَتْ فِيهَا النَّارَ، لَا هِيَ أَطْعَمَتْهَا، وَلَا سَقَتْهَا إِذْ حَبَسَتْهَا، وَلَا هِيَ تَرَكَتْهَا تَأْكُلُ مِنْ خَشَاشِ الْأَرْضِ»

[القرطبي، الجامع لأحكام القرآن، ٦/٤١٩]

«( إلا أمم أمثالكم ) أي هم جماعات مثلكم في أن الله عز وجل خلقهم وتكفل بأرزاقهم وعدل عليهم فلا ينبغي [PageV06P419] أن تظلموهم ولا تجاوزوا فيهم ما أمرتم به»

[الخادمي، بريقة محمودية شرح الطريقة المحمدية، ٧، ms1580]

«( من حق الحيوان ) لانسداد طرق التحليل والإرضاء في الآخرة والأولى ( فإن الفقهاء قالوا العذاب فيه متعين ) وأمكن عفوه تعالى في نفسه لكن حكم شريعته يقتضي عدم العفو ولذا حكموا بتعين العذاب وفي قاضي خان ومن هذا قالوا إن خصومة الدابة أشد من خصومة الآدمي على الآدمي انتهى . فيلزم الاهتمام فلا يقتل ولا يضرب بلا عذر ومع العذر لا يضرب وجهه فلا يحمل ولا يركب فوق طاقته ولا يترك علفه وشربه ولا يردف بلا طاقته»

[الخادمي، بريقة محمودية شرح الطريقة المحمدية ـ ٢، ٥، ms1018]

«بل فيه أجر بالانتفاع به كما في حديث ( { في كل } ) أي إرواء ( { ذات كبد حراء } ) تأنيث أحر ( { أجر } ) عام مخصوص بحيوان محترم ، وهو ما لم يؤمر بقتله ونبه بالسقي على جميع وجوه الإحسان من الإطعام . قال القرطبي : وفيه أن الإحسان إلى الحيوان مما يغفر الذنوب وتعظم به الأجور»

[ابن مازة، المحيط البرهاني، ٦/٧٤]

«فأما بيع السنور الذي ينتفع به، فجائز بالاتفاق، وعبارة شمس الأئمة الحلواني أن السنور له ثمن عندنا إذا تمول»

[ابن مازة، المحيط البرهاني ـ ٢، ٥/٣٧٥]

«وأما غيره من البهائم فلا بأس به إذا كان فيه منفعة، وإذا لم يكن فيه منفعة فهو حرام، وفي أضحية «النوازل» في إخصاء السنور إنه لا بأس به إذا كان فيه منفعة أو دفع ضرره»

[قاضيخان، فتاوى قاضيخان، ٣/٢٥٠]

«ولا بأس بخصاء السنور إذا كان فيه ضرر ولا بأس بخصاء البهائم وكي الأغنام»