Animals & Pets

Keeping security dogs

Q: I would like to buy and keep a dog to start a mobile security dog service business. I would be keeping the dog to patrol empty businesses and warehouses. I will be keeping the dog outside in the small garden in a kennel at home. Is this allowed in Islam? Will I be able to pray in a mosque with the clothes I wear when I’m going to work and using the dog and at home. 

Conducting tests on animals

Q: I am a medical scientist working in a research facility. Our work is to develop new medications and treatments for various diseases.

When we need to test a certain medication to see its effectiveness, side effects, etc, we use lab rats as our test specimens. We first infect the rat with the disease and then inject it with the medication to see the result. In some cases, other animals are used as well.

Recently, this began to bother me, as I realised that we are abusing and harming these creatures. However, we have to test the medications on some subject, and we obviously cannot do so on people. What should we do?

Keeping pets

Q:

1. Is it allowed to keep cats as pets inside the house?

2. Do we get reward?

3. In one of your fatwa's you told "Don't keep cats"? Is there is any reason behind it?

4. Which pets are allowed?

Cat food containing pork

Q: We have a couple of cats at home and rely on buying brand cat jelly and dry food. I usually buy fish selection but recently discovered that both of the fish selection cat food brands have traces of pork in the food. It would be difficult to have to make homemade meat for them every day because we have many cats and they eat multiple times a day. Its a must to feed cats meat because otherwise they’ll be unhealthy. So what shall I do? I'm afraid they’ll get sick of eating tuna all the time and they need a lot of nutrition which can be found in these brand foods.

Euthanasia for animals

Q: I want to give up my cat to a charity who will help rehome them. One of the things I have to sign is a declaration that the charity is allowed to euthanise the cat if they have any “social, behavioural or other substantive reasons.” Am I allowed to sign this?

Keeping a pair of parrots to keep each other company

Q: I have a pet parrot for years. I take care of his food and environment (cold/hot) but he is alone i.e. no other parrot is with him. I have never clipped his wings. He is very innocent and don't fly properly. I am scared that if I liberate him, other birds or cats may harm him. Can I buy a female parrot for him so that he can enjoy some company. Is it permissible?

Spaying a cat

Q: I have a female cat. Many people told me, including my cat doctor to get her spayed (spayed is a surgery to remove female cat uterus and ovaries to prevent her giving birth). My cat doctor told me spayed has many benefits (including health benefits because many female cat got cancerous cells after giving birth to lots of kitten and also less population so kittens cant roam homeless and starve on street also female cat will have less risk to get lost or injured in a traffic accident in searching of a mate which is because female cat dont go on a heat after spayed). My question is! Does Islam allow us to do female cat spayed? Is that haram?

Killing a lizard

Q: Today, my mother ordered my to kill a lizard that was in our house. It was the size of an index finger. I truly hate killing insects and pests and prefer to just take them outside. But in the heat of the moment I killed it. I am feeling very bad about it because I value life of other beings. I am still feeling bad about it. I really want to forget that but I cant. Is what I did haram?