Furry companions

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

I love cats but my mother doesn't like having pets at home because she doesn't like to clean after their mess and also doesn't want the furniture to be a scratching post for the cats.

As such, I've made compromises in the past. And had hamsters and fish and terrapins. Hamsters were probably the closest furry creatures that I had. When they grew old and died, I threw away their cages coz they have gnawed on the bars until they were down to their iron. Plus, it had been 4 years old and very worn out. These hamsters would bite at almost anything when their teeth start to grow.

My two female pearl hamsters look something like this:



Very adorable right...
Sometimes I'd let them run around in the house in a ball and it's really hilarious watching them run around- although I must say they're really fast runners!

I'm thinking of getting hamsters again... I love the feel of them in my hands... so warm and cuddly...

But my true love is still cats. And I take pictures of them at random places whenever I can. I have to admit that using a phone camera doesn't yield that great results... but at least I get to capture their beauty.

Well, I hope to take more photos of them when I can. They are really beautiful creatures and some of them are so manja when they rub themselves onto your legs even though you're a complete stranger. Sometimes when I have cats or kittens doing that, I have that urge to just bring them home...

If I recall, I read somewhere that if you looked after a cat or elderly in your house, He will always ensure that you have rezeki in your house. I suppose it is because you take the time to care for and love those who need your attention and He rewards you for it.
I've already whined to Hubtobe that I want kittens and cats in our home in the future. I forgot what he said but I think it's a yes. But then, we'll let the cat go in and out of the house as they like after they're neutered so they can have all the leisure that they like, without feeling trapped. It's just like letting my hamsters run around in the house. They really like the exercise. Plus, they get to catch their own spiders and whatever else they like.

Here we have my ustazah's and ustad's cat sitting on the carpet while we were reading the Quran while waiting for Isyak azan.

She's actually not neutered yet and I think she's really agitated by it because she wants to mate but is afraid to venture out on her own. Ustad's kids were contemplating to release her or take her to the doctor to be neutralized. I don't know...

Is it right for us to neuter animals?

There is this one hadith that goes:

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A woman entered Hell because of a cat which she tied up and did not feed, nor did she allow it to eat of the vermin of the earth.” The vermin of the earth means mice, etc. (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Well... the debate can be read here.

For me personally, I would prefer to neuter the cat when it's still a kitten and has not yet entered sexual maturity- it's like circumcision...

From the article:

“Neutering or sterilizing animals, while not encouraged in Islam, is not completely forbidden either. `Abdullah ibn `Umar, a Companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reported that the Prophet forbade the neutering of horses and other animals.

However, according to another tradition, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is said to have permitted the sterilization of an animal so long as the operation is carried out early in its life and not when the animal reaches maturity. Hence, it may be acceptable to neuter pets such as cats, particularly if one wants to prevent the birth of a multiplicity of unwanted kittens.”

Wallahualam Bissawab..