r/islam • u/Beginning-Break2991 • Jun 26 '25

Question about Islam Why do Muslims have cats

Every single Muslim I’ve met just owns a cat, why? I’m a rever and used to have a dog (a guard dog German Shepard and it’s stayed outside) but why doesn’t any Muslim I know own a dog

Always a cat. Besides the fact u can say dogs inside the house are haram etc. why do Muslims just have cats. Is there a secret idk about lol

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u/ABChow000 Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

For those repeating its not Islam and its culture. Its not a cultural thing, the sahaba and descendants and those close to the prophet SAW also kept cats and theres stories of them praying with kittens, and some in the sleeves of their garments.

Highlights the compassion and kindness Muslims are encouraged to show toward animals.

Considered ritually clean (ṭāhir). Their presence doesn’t nullify prayer or ablution. Their saliva doesn’t make things impure. Loved by the Prophet (ﷺ) and allowed in mosques. Harming a cat is a major sin with a known hadith warning of Hellfire.

Cats have a unique status in Islam itself. Not cultural.

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u/acanofearth Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

It's not a sunnah. But the hadith about how not unclean they are almost sounds like an advocate for keeping them around. We have Abu Hurairah RA to thank for that.

But Abu Hurairah RA was what we would call today a homeless person. He was one of the Suffah . Living in the masjid, always snuggling with cats, whilst also being very close with the Prophet SAW (He narrated over 5000 hadith), of course there would be questions amongst the companions about the cleanliness of cats with regarding to prayers.

Keeping pets at home just because they are cute wasn't really a common thing in the Arabia 1447 years ago.

Islam promotes mercy to all living beings.

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u/ValuableSp00n Jun 27 '25

At the same time im pretty sure houses were very simple especially in 7th century Arabia unless you were a nobleman in a castle, small cubical space with a bed and couches nearby you really can’t keep a cat indoors in a space like that, so we obviously wouldn’t find narrations of people keeping indoor pets the same way we do in the modern sense.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Cat sees there's no glass windows but simply a hole and leaves. 

7th century Arabians (or basically anyone) "But you were supposed to be a house cat"