Killing a harmful stray cat

20-5-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

there is a male cat (black) in my neighborhood which killed my pet cat & keeps making my yard dirty by passing stools/urine near my water tank. I cant catch it but can kill it. I am very desperate. Pl comment. Can I kill it?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Keeping cats at home as pets is permissible, so if this cat belongs to someone you know, then you have to reach an understanding with him so that he would prevent his cat from harming you, by keeping it locked indoors and the like. A Hadeeth reads: “There should be no harm nor reciprocal harm.” [Maalik - Al-Albaani graded it as Saheeh (sound)]

But if this cat does not belong to anyone, and its harm is above usual, then you are permitted to kill it if there is no other way of getting rid of its harm other than killing it.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 90204 and 83830.

Allaah Knows best.