The authentic reports about cats establish two clear points: a cat is not impure, and imprisoning one without food or a way to find food is a grave act of neglect. They do not establish popular claims that affection for cats is part of faith or that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ owned a cat. To assess such claims, distinguish what a sound narration actually says from stories circulated without evidence; this guide to how hadith authenticity and grading work explains why that distinction matters.
Cats are not impure: what the report establishes
In an authentic report, Abu Qatādah lets a cat drink from the water he had prepared for ablution. When his relative is surprised, he explains that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “It is not impure. It is one of those who roam around among you.” (reported by At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, Abu Dawud, Ahmad and Ad-Darimi)
The report directly addresses a cat drinking from a water vessel: its contact does not make the water impure. It also describes cats as animals that move among people, which helps explain the practical ruling. The narration is not a claim that every substance or circumstance involving a cat is automatically pure; it should not be extended beyond what it says.
The woman punished for imprisoning a cat
A second authentic report gives a serious warning about animal welfare. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “A woman was tormented because of a cat which she had kept locked up until it died, and she was thrown into Hell for that. She neither gave it food or drink when she locked it up nor freed it so that it would eat from the vermin of the earth.” (reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The wrongdoing described is specific: the woman confined the cat, failed to provide food and water, and did not release it so it could seek food. The report is therefore not a warning against keeping a cat at all; it condemns keeping an animal in conditions where it is left to suffer and die. For broader context on Islamic teachings on mercy toward animals, see the related discussion.
Popular sayings about cats need evidence
The sayings “affection for cats is part of faith” and “the Prophet had a cat” are not established by either of these authentic reports. The reports concern a cat’s interaction with water and the consequences of neglecting a confined cat; neither mentions the Prophet owning a pet cat or makes affection for cats a measure of faith. Without reliable evidence, these claims should not be attributed to him ﷺ as hadith.
A claim’s popularity does not establish its authenticity. When you encounter a quotation attributed to the Prophet ﷺ, check whether it has a traceable source and a sound grading rather than repeating it as fact. You can browse authentic hadiths by topic and check their grading when verifying a report.
What these hadiths tell us about keeping cats
Together, the reports establish that a cat’s drinking from a vessel does not make the water impure, and that an animal must not be confined and deprived of food, water, or a chance to find food. They support responsible treatment, but they do not provide a complete ruling on every question about owning or keeping cats. For that fuller discussion, consult IslamQA’s discussion of the ruling on keeping cats.
Questions and answers about authentic hadiths on cats
Did the Prophet Muhammad have a cat?
The two authentic reports discussed here do not say that he owned a cat. They establish the cat’s purity in the stated context and condemn neglecting a confined cat, not a story about the Prophet’s pet.
Is the saying “affection for cats is part of faith” an authentic hadith?
It is not established by the authentic cat-related reports presented here. Do not attribute it to the Prophet ﷺ as a hadith without reliable evidence.
Does the hadith about cats being pure mean their saliva is pure?
The report says that a cat is not impure and describes one drinking from a vessel without making the water impure. Its wording supports that practical conclusion, but it should not be expanded into claims about every possible circumstance.
The authentic reports establish that cats are not impure in the stated context and that confining one without care is condemned. They do not authenticate popular claims about the Prophet’s supposed pet or cats being part of faith. When you see a quotation, check its source and grading before attributing it to the Prophet ﷺ.
Sources quoted
Every quotation was checked word for word against the Quran and hadith texts in our database.
- Hadith narrated by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa’i and Ahmad — authentic
- Hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim — authentic
The Al Muslim Plus editorial team · tested on September 29, 2026