Do Muslims have to feed their cat with halal cat food?

The answer to the question in the title is probably the one you'd image: NO. As a Muslim there are no laws or rules to demand that you must feed your cat with halal pet food. The reason? All religions, including the Islamic faith, are human concepts. Animals don't worship a God. They have no knowledge whatsoever of any religion.

Not obligatory for Muslims. Image: DALLE

Non-halal meat is haram or forbidden. The only reason why is because of Islamic law. Making halal meat does not make it more acceptable in terms of taste etc. from a domestic cat's standpoint! In short halal meat is all about the Islamic faith which in turn is all about humans and a widespread belief by many hundreds of millions that there is a higher power.

You will find some Muslims in the UK running halal pet food businesses (such as Aihtsham Rashid in Leeds) and claiming that it is obligatory for Muslims to feed their cats and dogs with halal meat. I guess they would promote that idea but it is wrong. If you think I am wrong please comment and provide me with chapter and verse as to why. I need to see hard evidence please! 💕😎

What is halal meat?

Islamic Law (Sharia): Halal is an Arabic term that means “permissible.” Halal food adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the Quran. It encompasses various aspects of life, including dietary guidelines. Muslims believe in what they see as the ethical treatment of animals, and halal practices align with this philosophy by promoting kindness, compassion, and humane treatment throughout the entire lifecycle of the animal.

Method of Slaughter: The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry is called dhabiha. It involves killing through a precise cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery, and windpipe. During this process animals must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter. All blood is drained from the carcass. A Muslim recites a dedication known as tasmiya or shahada during the slaughter.

On this definition, halal meat is about promoting kindness to animals and yet British veterinarians say that conventional abattoir animal slaughter which starts by stunning the animal is more humane that slitting the animal's throat without stunning the animal first. 

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Are cats allowed to enter mosques?

A big, loud YES, is the answer to the question in the title based on what I have seen on the internet. Although I am not a Muslim, I know the history of the domestic cat in relation to the Islamic Faith and I've seen cats entering mosques all over the world in videos and still images. They don't just enter mosques but some live in mosques. 

I've seen an imam allow a mother cat bring in her kittens to make a den inside the mosque. There is great tenderness towards cats and an acceptance of their presence. Although the same cannot be said of the general public in Muslim countries where there is the usual amount cruelty towards stray and feral cats of which there are too many.

Cat joins Muslims for prayers in a mosque. Image: Twitter. THIS PICTURE IS FAR FROM BEING UNIQUE. I'VE SEEN MANY WHICH ARE SIMILAR.

I have seen cats participating in prayers and cats on the shoulders of imams while they lead prayers! The domestic cat can almost do anything in a mosque depending on the attitude of the imam but all of them seem to be very accepting of cats because of Prophet Mohammad's love of cats as told in the hadiths.

Islam Faith and cats

Imam loves his kitten and vice versa. Imam Mustafa Efe with a kitten inside his mosque: Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Mosque, Istanbul. Joy in his eyes. Happiness for the kitten. Photo: Facebook

The history of cats in the Islamic Faith is very strong. Imams can't refuse the cat entry to their mosque as it would go against the wishes of the Prophet as I see it.

Dogs get a bad deal and it is very unfair. I wish Muslims were friendlier to dogs as they deserve. For some inexplicable reason (for me) dogs are regarded as unclean. Dirtier than cats when we know that this is not true in reality as dog owners keep their dogs clean with frequent baths!

Although cats are fastidious self-groomers, more so than dogs. Perhaps their attitude comes from that difference.

Prophet Muhammad's love of cats transformed a Muslim cat hater to a cat lover

Qais Hussain's mother had an irrational fear of cats. She suffered from ailurophobia. Her son, Qais Hussain, in complete contrast, is a confirmed ailurophile; a cat lover. He has written a very interesting article for The Guardian. During the coronavirus lockdowns he wanted to adopt a kitten like many other people in the UK. As he lives with his mother it was impossible to introduce a kitten into the household.

Muslims with cat at mosque. Photo in public domain. Not all Muslims are this kind towards cats however.

He believes that her irrational fear of cats may have started when she watched a scary video about a cat in her childhood. She remembers seeing a black cat with green eyes jumping into a man's mouth and suffocating him. He also says that his mother actually hates all animals believing that "Cats are Satan incarnate, who use their cuteness and their adorability to bewitch and do the devil's work."

It seems to me that his mother had also been indoctrinated by many stories of mediaeval Europe when black cats were the familiars of witches and persecuted for hundreds of years. During that black era of humankind's relationship with animals, the black cat was seen as the devil incarnate, which is exactly what his mother believed.

He was desperate to adopt a cat and had the idea of reminding his mother of the stories of the Prophet Muhammad's love of domestic cats. There are many hadiths about how domestic cats and indeed stray cats should be treated by Muslims. Hadiths are believed to be a record of the words, actions of the Prophet Muhammad. They are reports of what Muhammad said and did. And therefore, they carry great weight.

IS DESEXING A CAT HARAM?

Once Qais Hussain's mother had been reminded of hadiths it flicked a switch in her brain it seems to me. She fully accepted cats and embraced their company. Her change in attitude allowed him to adopt a kitten who she adores. They named him Milo and she treats Milo as her fifth child.

IS IT HARAM TO SELL CATS?

Initially she was fearful and unsure around him but gradually got to know him. One day Qais returned from college to see Milo sitting on her lap while she watched TV. She now looks after him and in his words "she runs down the stairs to kiss him in the morning."

It's a good story. I'm not sure why his mother didn't already know the stories of the Prophet Muhammad and his love of cats but that's neither here nor there. She now loves them which is the right attitude!

I just hope that now she can learn to love other animals as well. As a postscript, Qais admits that Muslims treat dogs unfairly. Dogs are treated incredibly unfairly as they are regarded as unclean. Cats are regarded as clean. This is speciesism and I would hope that the senior clerics in the Muslim faith clear up this false anomaly.

Cat on Terrorist's Lap Photograph

This is a peculiar photo of a jihandist and an orange and white community cat.

Jihadists are people engaged in armed jihad. They are people described as terrorists. This photo was, I believe, posted on Twitter by ISIS, the new, very large group of Muslim terrorists who have invaded Iraq and who have carved out a new Islamic state led by a supreme religious and political leader from inside Iraq (a "caliphate") - they claim.

The word "jihad" has been hijacked by Islamic terrorists because it is meant to mean "to struggle in the way of Allah" which is to do good, as I understand it.

The breeding ground for these jihadists is Syria. Syria has been neglected by the West and they are paying the price.

The photo is part of the relatively sophisticated media campaign waged by ISIS on Twitter and other social media sites to promote their cause and recruit "troops".

The caption for the photo is:

"Cats love Mujahideen! 

BTW This bro dint want his wife to know that hes here,so just saved his smile aftr the edits=D"

Make of it what you will. We know how news media promote their newspapers with cat stories; this looks like a ISIS promo type image projecting a softer image.