Dear Hadi

Dear Hadi,

Salam. My cats’ paws smell like urine. Even after I bathe them, after a couple of days, their paws smell like urine again. They do clean themselves by licking. However, sometimes they jump onto me and transfer the smell of urine to my clothes. Are the floor and my clothes considered impure when the urine odor transfers to them?

Dear Reader,

In Islam, cats themselves are not considered impure (najis). In fact, cats are generally considered clean animals. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was known to be fond of cats, and there are authentic hadiths showing that cats were allowed to roam freely in the houses, even around food and prayer areas. One such hadith is "They (cats) are not impure; they intermingle with you" (Sunan Abi Dawood). This hadith was narrated by Kabshah bint Ka‘b, who said that Abu Qatadah entered, and she poured water for him to make wudu. A cat came to drink, and he tilted the vessel for it. She was surprised, and he cited the Prophet’s (pbuh) words above.

That being said, the general consensus is that their urine would be considered impure and should be removed. If you are certain (smell or wetness) that the urine has transferred to your clothes, prayer mat, or floor, then you should take steps to wash the affected items/areas before using them for prayer, but you don’t, for example, need to redo your wudu.

In peace.

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