Muslims don’t have to feed their pets halal pet food. It’s as simple as that. It’s as straightforward as that because the Islamic faith concerns people. That’s obvious. Animals don’t have a religion of any sort. The concept of religion would mystify them if they had the ability to study the topic as it is an entirely human concept.
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When I read a story on the Internet about a Leeds-based entrepreneur, Aihtsham Rashid, launching a brand-new hundred percent halal certified pet food company I was astonished. He said he created the business because he realised that he was “prohibited from buying or bringing into his home non-halal products i.e. haram (forbidden) products.
But that doesn’t mean all Muslims in any country have to buy halal pet food for their cats and dogs. It seems that this man is living in a home where they have this personalised law requiring pets to be fed with halal foods but there is no need for it.
Anyway, I went online on the Quora.com and the Reddit.com website just to see what other Muslims said about this. They fully agree with me which was what I expected.
There are no demands in the Quran that Muslims must feed their pets with halal foods. The Prophet Mohammad was very fond of cats it is said and he expected Muslims to treat cats with respect. It is a great sadness to me that the dogs are so disrespected by Muslims in, frankly, a blatant act of speciesism. There is no reason to disrespect dogs but there it is.
And, frankly, don’t expect feral cats to be well treated in countries like Pakistan where the Islamic faith is so predominant. Feral cats simply aren’t treated well in that country. They are treated quite badly in fact. There is a disconnect between the guidance given in the Koran and what happens at the moment, in the 21st-century, in Muslim countries such as Pakistan.
There is no more to say. Except this: there is one manufacturer of halal pet food in the UK, Tiana, whose owner says that it is not permissible to feed animals with pet food that contains haram meat.
The person who says that is a Muslim and they pay their respects to the Prophet Muhammad when giving this advice. They say that you have to feed halal meat and ingredients to pets. This is entirely incorrect. Sorry if that sounds disrespectful or argumentative but I must be correct and this person must be incorrect.
Importantly, they cannot provide any references to any books, rules or law which supports what they say. They do say that their advice is checked and approved. Who is checking and who is approving? They don’t say.
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About halal meat
Islamic Law (Sharia): Halal is an Arabic term that means “permissible.” Halal food adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the Quran. It encompasses various aspects of life, including dietary guidelines. Muslims believe in what they see as the ethical treatment of animals, and halal practices align with this philosophy by promoting kindness, compassion, and humane treatment throughout the entire lifecycle of the animal.
Method of Slaughter: The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry is called dhabiha. It involves killing through a precise cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery, and windpipe. During this process:Animals must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter. All blood is drained from the carcass. A Muslim recites a dedication known as tasmiya or shahada during the slaughter.
