Short answer
No, not in the Hanafi school. Neutering or spaying a cat is permitted when there is a benefit or it prevents harm, such as stopping spraying, fighting, roaming or unwanted litters, and it is done humanely by a vet. The Shafi'i school is stricter and forbids castrating animals that are not eaten, except for real need.
Neutering or spaying a cat, and other animals, is permitted when there is a benefit or it removes harm. It must be done humanely, with anaesthesia and proper care.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Castrating an animal that is not eaten is haram in the relied-upon view. Some contemporary Shafi'i scholars allow it for a real need, such as preventing disease or large numbers of strays.
Explanation
The Hanafi jurists discussed castrating animals long before modern vets. The Fatawa Hindiyya states that castrating a cat is fine if there is a benefit in it or it prevents harm. Spaying a female follows the same reasoning.
The benefits vets point to are real:
- an unneutered tomcat sprays urine, fights and roams, and often gets injured;
- a female in heat cries for days and can have several litters a year;
- unwanted kittens often end up abandoned or starving, which is a harm in itself;
- neutering lowers the risk of some cancers and infections.
Islam's concern is the welfare of the animal. The Prophet ﷺ said Allah has prescribed excellence in everything, and that there is reward in caring for every living creature. So the operation should be done by a vet with anaesthesia and aftercare, not in a way that causes needless pain.
Some Muslims worry that neutering is 'changing Allah's creation', which the Quran blames as a whisper of Shaytan. The Hanafi scholars understood that verse to cover changes made without a valid purpose, while animal castration for benefit was known and allowed. The Shafi'i school is stricter for animals that are not eaten, which is why you may hear different answers. Many shelters and councils require neutering, and you can follow their rules under the Hanafi view.
If you keep a cat, the bigger duties are food, water, shelter and treatment. See can Muslims have cats and is it sunnah to have a cat.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:119
وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ وَلِيًّۭا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًۭا مُّبِينًۭا ﴿١١٩﴾
And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah." And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss.
The verse people cite against neutering; scholars limit it to changes without a valid purpose.
Sahih Muslim 1955
Sahih... إن الله كتب الإحسان على كل شيء ...
"Allah has prescribed excellence in everything."
Any procedure on an animal must be done humanely.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2363
Sahih... في كل كبد رطبة أجر ...
"There is a reward for serving every living creature."
Caring for an animal's health is rewarded.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on castration and similar matters. Castrating a cat is permitted if there is a benefit in it or it prevents harm.
- Rawdat al-Talibin (al-Nawawi), Kitab al-Nafaqat, section on the upkeep of animals. Castrating an animal that is eaten is allowed while young; castrating one that is not eaten is forbidden.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. 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.