The hadiths tell of a female cat locked up without food, and of a thirsty dog rescued at the edge of a well. Two accounts that remind us that welcoming an animal means committing to care for it.
In a hadith related by Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ speaks of a woman whose fate was tied to a cat. She had tied it up and locked it away until the animal died. She had given it neither food nor drink, and she had not let it go free to feed on the small creatures of the earth.
A life entrusted, a responsibility born
This account is brief, but it says a great deal. The cat was not chased away or ignored from a distance: it was kept, and therefore placed in someone's charge. From that moment on, it could no longer look for its own food or water. The hadith emphasises this point: whoever keeps an animal becomes responsible for its most basic needs. They must feed it, give it water, or let it go free to provide for its own hunger.
Another account, also related by Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, shows the bright side of this care. The Prophet ﷺ tells of a man walking along a road, overcome by great thirst. He found a well, climbed down into it and drank. As he came back up, he saw a dog panting and licking the damp earth because of its thirst. The man thought that this dog was suffering the same thirst he had. He went back down into the well, filled his khuff (his leather boot) with water, held it in his mouth to climb back up, and then gave the dog water to drink. The Prophet ﷺ adds that Allah thanked him for this and forgave him.
The Companions then asked: "Messenger of Allah, is there a reward for us in what we do for animals?" He replied, according to this hadith: "There is a reward for every living creature that has a moist liver."
Creatures that cannot speak
It is also reported, in the collection of Abu Dawud, that the Prophet ﷺ passed by a camel whose back was pressed against its belly from being so thin. He then said, in substance: "Fear Allah concerning these creatures that cannot speak." According to another account from the same collection, he went into the garden of a man of the Ansar, where a camel was weeping. He passed his hand behind its ears and the animal calmed down. He then asked who its owner was, and reminded him that this animal complained of being hungry and exhausted.
These accounts have something in common. The animal cannot ask for what it needs in words. It depends entirely on the one who has taken it in, and the tradition invites us to regard this dependence with attention and gentleness.
What these accounts tell us today
Welcoming a cat, a dog or any other companion is therefore not a simple gesture of affection in the moment. It is a commitment to give it water, food, shelter and care every day, and to do so over the long term. Before adopting, one can ask whether one will have the time, the means and the patience required. The hadiths remind us that an act of kindness, even toward a thirsty dog, does not go unnoticed by Allah. They also show that a life entrusted to our hands deserves constant attention. May this lesson guide our kindness toward all animals.
