Q & A HALACHA
Every Day Family Questions & Answers
♦♦♦♦♦
PAGE 2D - FAMILY ABOUT CATS & DOGS
Are there any Jewish laws governing
how you treat your pet?
- While Jewish tradition permits human beings to make use of animals, acts of cruelty toward
them are expressly prohibited, a principle known tza'ar baalei chayim. - General principles of how Jews ought to treat animals show concern both for the physical suffering of animals.
- Maimonides forbids using an animal to thresh a field if a thorn is stuck in its mouth, for
example,as well as their emotional pain, as evinced by the law barring the taking of eggs
from a nest while the mother bird is present. - Jewish tradition also dictates that one feed one’s animals before feeding oneself.
- According to some authorities, this principle may not apply if the animal is capable of
securing its own food. - According to Slifkin, the permissibility of declawing a cat or removing a dog’s tail is not discussed explicitly by Jewish legal authorities; however the general principle is that
causing pain to animals for the benefit of humans is permitted provided the benefit is
not trivial & the pain is not too great.
Can one care for a pet
while observing traditional Shabbas laws?
- Shabbas laws pose a number of issues for pet owners.
- The Talmud declares that animals are muktzha, the term for items that cannot be
handled on the Sabbas because they are used for prohibited activities (such as farming)
& the Shulchan Aruch states that one should not move an animal on the Shabbas. - However, this does not mean it’s forbidden to feed or play with animals on Shabbas &
in addition, there is some dispute as to whether the muktzha designation applies to
household pets. - The Torah, in Exodus 20:10 requires that an owner allow his animals to rest on Shabbas
& Jewish holidays. - This ruling is understood to prohibit an animal from performing any act prohibited to
a Jew on the Sahbbas. For example, if dogs could turn on lights or cook, for example,
an observant Jew would not be able to order their dog to perform these tasks on Shabbas. - If you don't have an Eruv on Shabbas, this would clearly prohibit having a dog fetch the
morning newspaper. - Whether a dog may have identifying tags around its neck hinges largely on whether the
tags are considered a benefit for the dog or for its owner. - Holding a leash while walking a dog is not considered carrying, according to several sources.
- However, both the Shulchan Aruch & Maimonides rule that the leach must be kept no
more than three inches below the hand of the person holding it. - A final concern regards capturing a pet that has gotten loose on the Shabbas.
1. The Mishna states that one who traps a domesticated animal on the Shabbas is exempt
from punishment; however there is some debate over whether that means it is permitted
to do so or merely that a violator would not be liable.
2. According to Rabbi Howard Jachter, if an animal offers only limited resistance to an
owner’s attempt to capture it, there are grounds for allowing its capture.
3. However, if an animal offers significant resistance, it cannot be recaptured on the Shabbas
4. As a result, it’s good practice on the Shabbas not to remove an animal from a leash or
release a bird from a cage, to avoid the problem altogether.
Can you feed your pet non-kosher food?
- Yes, with two exceptions.
- According to the Shulchan Aruch, one cannot derive benefit from a biblically proscribed mixture of milk & meat.
- Consequently, it is forbidden to feed a pet any food that includes milk & meat.
- This law applies only to biblically proscribed milk/meat mixtures, which are limited to
ingredients from kosher domesticated animals. - Non-kosher animal meat mixed with milk, for example, would not be prohibited.
- The other exception is Passover, when it is forbidden not only to eat leavened grains, but
even to own them or benefit from them. - There are a number of possible ways to work around this for pets, including selling the
pet to a non-Jew for the duration of the holiday, making your own pet food, or purchasing
kosher-for-Passover pet food.
- Some kosher certifying agencies, such as Star-K, publish annual lists of Kosher For
Passover pet food brands.
I accidentally bought cat food that contains milk & meat.
I realized that I may not be able to feed it to my cat.
Can I place it outside for neighborhood cats to eat?
- The Yerushalmi writes that there is an extra drasha that teaches us that a person may
not feed chametz to stray animals on Pesach, even though one is not responsible for
feeding them. - The Binyan Tzion (102) questions whether this drasha is limited to chametz, or whether
it can be applied to other forbidden items such as basar b’chalav as well.
- However, the Taz (YD 94:4) cites Rishonim & Achronim who apply this prohibition of
feeding basar b’chalav to stray animals as well. - Accordingly, basar b’chalav must be disposed of in such a way that no one & no animal
will benefit from it. - It can be buried, thrown in the garbage or flushed down the toilet.
May one feed their dog a pet food that contains milk & meat?
- The Torah writes in three separate places that one may not cook a goat in its mother’s milk.
- Chazal interpreted the repetition of the verse to teach us that there are three prohibitions:
1. Not to cook milk & meat together.
2. Not to eat milk that was cooked with meat.
3. Not to derive any benefit from milk that was cooked with meat. - Since feeding one’s dog is a form of benefit, it would seem clear that one may not feed
one’s dog pet food that contains milk & meat.
- However, the Rambam writes that there is a 'nekudah nifla’ah', an amazing point that the prohibition of deriving benefit from milk & meat cooked together does not apply to meat that
was not slaughtered properly. - Others disagree.
1. The Dagul Mereava (4D 87:3) writes that in situations of financial loss, one may rely on
the lenient opinion of the Rambam.
2. In contrast, the Pri Megadim rules in accordance with those who are stringent & prohibits benefit from non-slaughtered meat cooked with milk. - Restricting the use of milk & meat dog food would not present a financial loss & therefore,
both the Pri Megadim & Dagul Mereava would agree it should not be used. - The prohibition of deriving benefit only applies when the Biblical prohibition of cooking milk
& meat was violated. - One may derive benefit from milk & meat that were merely mixed together in a cold state.
- As such, if one knows that the milk & meat in the dog food were mixed cold, it may be fed
to dog.
Can I feed my pet a pet food that contains
pork or chicken cooked with dairy?
- Yes, Shulochan Aruch (YD87:3) writes that the prohibition of deriving benefit from meat cooked with milk applies only to meat from cattle, sheep & goats.
- Other meats such as poultry, venison & certainly pork are not included in the prohibition.
- The Torah specifies that one may not cook the meat of a 'gedi' in the milk of its mother.
- Although the term 'gedi' usually refers to a goat, it can also include a sheep or a cow,
however, it doesn't refer to other animals. - Although the Rabbis forbade eating poultry or venison cooked with milk, they did not forbid benefiting from this combination.
- The opinion of Tosfos is that poultry venison are included in the Torah prohibition as well, however, Shach (YD 87:4) writes that this is not the accepted ruling.
- The Shach ends by quoting the Rambam (Hilchos Mamrim 2:9) that it is a violation of
Bal Tosif (the prohibition of adding to a mitzvah) to claim that cooking poultry & milk
is forbidden by the Torah.
♦♦♦♦♦
Copyright © 2012 -2018 KosherWoman.com
All rights reserved
