What is the ruling on one who intentionally kills a cat?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Intentionally killing a cat without a legitimate Shar'i purpose is forbidden, and the perpetrator is considered sinful. He must seek forgiveness and repent. This is because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade the torturing of animals, meaning holding them alive to be killed by shooting or other means, and he said: "Do not take anything containing a soul as a target." This prohibition is for the purpose of declaring it unlawful due to the torture inflicted upon the animal and the destruction of its life.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/35051
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 35051
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy