Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
I have a question regarding cats, I heard they are clean and their saliva is clean too. But I was wondering how can they be clean since when they relieve themselves they don’t use water, I have to live with a cat in my home which touches my clothes and its fur sheds all over the place, is it ok to pray in clothes which a cat has touched or sat on? I try not to go near it but some times it is unavoidable.
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
The purity or filthiness of an animal is not dependent on whether or not they use water when they relieve themselves—I am not aware of many pure animals that do: it appears to be a human thing.
The cat’s hair and saliva are both pure (tahir). The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“They are not filthy,”
When asked about them. [Related by Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Maja]
Wassalam,