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What is the ruling on marrying off a cat in exchange for money, or stipulating the taking of some of its offspring? And is it permissible to sell the offspring of this cat?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The majority of scholars do not permit renting out an animal for breeding (insemination), and this is the most preponderant opinion, due to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) prohibition of the stud's earnings, and because it involves gharar (uncertainty), jahalah (ignorance), and selling what does not exist. This falls under the Prophet's (peace be upon him) prohibition of selling al-madameen (fetuses in the wombs of their mothers), al-malaqeeh (contents of the udders), and habal al-habalah (the offspring of the offspring in the womb). Al-Dehlawi indicated that the wisdom behind the prohibition lies in avoiding contact with impurities and things that cause shyness, such as mating.

Based on this, it is not permissible to stipulate taking a share of a cat's offspring or a financial مقابل in exchange for its insemination.

As for selling cats, the majority of scholars have permitted it, while some scholars have prohibited it, and this is what we issue fatwa for, due to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) prohibition of the price of a dog and a cat.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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