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Among the most striking teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ concerning animals, the one that mentions the cat holds a particular place. This quiet, familiar creature becomes in prophetic tradition a symbol of a universal lesson about humanity's responsibility toward the creatures placed in its care.

The Story of a Woman Punished for Her Cruelty

It is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that the Prophet ﷺ said a woman was punished and entered Hell because of a female cat she had confined until it died of hunger. The Prophet ﷺ specified that she had neither fed nor given it water, nor had she set it free so it could hunt small creatures on the earth. This hadith, striking in its clarity, shows that mere neglect of a defenseless animal can constitute a grave fault in God's eyes.

This account concerns not only deliberate cruelty: it also points to inaction, forgetfulness, indifference. Depriving a living being of food, water, and freedom when it depends entirely on us is presented as a serious transgression. According to some scholars, this hadith illustrates the principle that mercy is not reserved for humans alone, but extends to every creature that has breath and needs.

The Cat, a Cherished Animal in Tradition

It is also reported, in an authentic hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim, that the companion Abu Huraira bore this very nickname precisely because he loved to care for kittens he found. This anecdote, widely known in Islamic tradition, bears witness to the gentle and compassionate place the cat already held in the circle of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions.

Other accounts, transmitted with varying details depending on the collections, speak of the Prophet's ﷺ kindness toward domestic animals and his emphasis that no creature should be mistreated without just cause. The cat, a clean and quiet animal, thus became in Islamic culture a symbol of this care extended to the smallest beings in the home.

A Lesson in Mercy That Goes Beyond the Animal Alone

What this hadith teaches extends far beyond the fate of one particular cat. It reminds us that faith does not stop at relations between human beings, but also concerns how we treat vulnerable creatures who have no voice to complain. The woman in the hadith did not strike the animal; she simply abandoned it to its fate—and it is this very neglect that is condemned.

Thus, through this simple and concrete teaching, the prophetic tradition invites everyone to feed, water, and respect the animals that live near them, whether domestic or stray. To care for a cat wandering in the street, to leave it some water or food, to take care never to confine it without ensuring its basic needs: these simple acts resonate directly with this age-old teaching. It is in this attention to the most fragile that there is revealed, quietly yet surely, the depth of a mercy that forgets no one—not even the smallest cat.