Euthanizing a Sickly Cat
Question
What is the ruling regarding euthanizing a sickly cat? She is around 15 years old now, and survived being hit by a car a few years ago. Ever since then she has walked with a limp, and now in her older years is moving around with great difficulty. The vet informed us that she has developed arthritis, and had advised us to administer injections and give her pills going forward. What would be the better route to take? Follow the vet’s advice and administer medication, or have her euthanized if Shariah permits?
Answer
In the enquired case, it will be permissible to kill the cat but the most suitable method of killing the cat should be implemented, which is having the cat slaughtered. If slaughtering the cat is not an option, then such a method should be adopted whereby the cat experiences the least amount of difficulty. Therefore, strong poison should be given to the cat that results in the cat dying immediately. [Re:- Fataawa Ibaadur Rahmaan Pg.334 Vol.7]
ALLAH TA’ALA IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!
- Answered by
- Mufti Mohammed Desai
Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Darul Ifta Ibn Masood. It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, ask the issuing Darul Ifta directly.