Short answer
Yes. Keeping a cat is permitted and loved in Islam, and so are birds, fish and other harmless pets. Cats are pure, so their fur and touch do not affect your wudu or prayer. You must feed and care for any pet properly, because neglecting an animal is a sin. Dogs are the exception, kept only for a need.
Keeping cats and other harmless pets is permitted, with the duty to feed and care for them. Cats are pure. The leftover water of a cat is makruh tanzihi (mildly disliked) for drinking or wudu when other water is available.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The leftover water of a cat is pure with no dislike.
- Maliki
- The leftover water of a cat is pure with no dislike.
- Hanbali
- The leftover water of a cat is pure with no dislike.
Explanation
Cats lived freely in the homes of the Companions. When a cat came to drink from Abu Qatada's wudu water, he tilted the vessel for it, and quoted the Prophet ﷺ: cats are not impure, they are among those who go around among you. The Companion Abu Hurayra is known by a nickname that means 'father of the kitten'.
Owning a pet is also a responsibility. The Prophet ﷺ told of a woman punished because she locked up a cat until it died, neither feeding it nor letting it find food. So a pet must get food, water, shelter and treatment when it is ill. If you cannot care for it, give it to someone who can.
Practical points:
- Cat hair on your clothes or prayer mat does not affect your salah.
- A cat walking past or sitting near you while you pray does not break the prayer.
- If a cat drinks from your glass, the Hanafi school says the water is still pure, but it is better to use other water if you have it.
- Birds in a cage, fish in a tank, rabbits and similar pets are all permitted with proper care. The Prophet ﷺ teased a little boy kindly about his pet bird.
Dogs are the one common pet with a different ruling. See are Muslims allowed to have dogs. More on cats in Cats in Islam.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-An'aam 6:38
وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍۢ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَٰٓئِرٍۢ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّآ أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم ۚ مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مِن شَىْءٍۢ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ ﴿٣٨﴾
And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered.
Animals are communities created by Allah and deserve care.
Sunan Abi Dawud 75
Graded hasan sahih... إنها ليست بنجس إنها من الطوافين عليكم ...
"They are not impure; they are among those who go around among you."
Cats are pure and can live in the home.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3482
Sahih... عذبت امرأة في هرة سجنتها حتى ماتت ...
"A woman was punished because of a cat she locked up until it died."
Neglecting or harming a pet is a sin.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6129
Sahih... يا أبا عمير ما فعل النغير ...
"O Abu Umayr, what happened to the little bird?"
Children and adults may keep small pets such as birds.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Taharah, section on leftover water (as'ar). The leftover water of a cat is pure but makruh.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.