Is it sunnah to have a cat?

The four schools agree on this.

Explanation

Cats have a warm place in Muslim culture, and the sunnah gives real reasons for it. A cat came to drink from Abu Qatada's water and he tilted the vessel for it, quoting the Prophet ﷺ: cats are not impure, they are among those who go around among you. The Companion known to us as Abu Hurayrah earned that nickname, 'father of the kitten', because he used to carry a small cat with him while herding.

But many popular stories go beyond the evidence. The tale that the Prophet ﷺ had a cat named Muezza, and cut off his sleeve rather than wake her, is not found in any reliable collection of hadith. Scholars of hadith treat it as baseless. It is better to share what is authentic.

So owning a cat is permitted, not a sunnah you are rewarded for in itself. The reward comes from how you treat it. The Prophet ﷺ told of a man forgiven for giving water to a thirsty dog, and said there is a reward in serving every living creature. He also told of a woman punished in the Fire because she locked up a cat and neither fed it nor let it find food.

What earns reward:

• feeding, watering and sheltering your cat and getting it treated when it is ill;
• feeding stray cats, putting out water in hot weather and helping injured animals;
• adopting a cat that needs a home, if you can care for it.

For keeping pets in general, see can Muslims have cats, and more history in Cats in Islam. The four schools agree on this ruling.

The evidence

Where the ruling is recorded

• Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on water, section on leftover water (su'r). A cat's leftover water is pure but mildly disliked for wudu when other water is available.

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.