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If there is any halachic difference at all between purposefully killing a bug (that isn’t bothering anyone) than killing a cat, what is it?
If the cat has an owner then you are being Mazik someone’s property.
If the cat has an owner then you are being Mazik someone’s property.
The same could be said about a bug.
You can ask the question of whether or not you can safely assume that a bug is ownerless, but if it does have one, you are certainly being Mazik someone’s property by killing it.
The Wolf
Wolf: That is absolutely correct.
Bubka: It’s not only monetary. R’ Schachter always mentions that there’s an Issur to be Mazik someone else. Not just that if you do it you have to pay for it.
bugs are nasty and annoying. They are pests. If the bug is in your house it is a nuisance and it doesnt belong there so theres no issue killing it. Now if you are outside and you see a bug and you maliciously kill it, well I dont know but that seems like tzar baalei chaim because there was no reason to kill it. Maybe if it is a bug that bites or stings you can get away with the fact that it may have hurt a person.
it’s cruel.
why destroy hashem’s creatures for no good reason.
Rather give it to your local consle sfnhujdhg to decide what to do with it.
Please dont hurt the kitty. thank you.
For the last time, it was an accident!!!
After you finish killing your local cat, don’t mind swinging by Jerusalem and kill for us the filthy cats here. They are more common and annoying than bugs.
What is the number of consle sfnhujdhg?
By the logic proposed by WIY, it might be okay to kill a cat if it bothers you. I am not paskening anything, just observing the logic.
I think it is quite clear from many gemaras (once again I am not giving a psak,) that straight forward killing an animal is not “Tzar Baalei Chaim.” That is only for causing pain or prolonging a slow death.
WIY: The Minchas Chinuch (I believe) points out that there is no Issur of Tza’ar Ba’alei Chayim when killing an animal (I presume that this has limits and it means that you kill in a humane way). He gets this from the Gemara of P’sik Reishei. He asks why it isn’t an issue of Tza’ar Ba’alei Chayim and answers that TB”C isn’t Shayach when you’re killing them, only if you’ll force them to live in pain.
We are forbidden to kill or to cause pain to any living creature unless it is necessary.
As Ramak (R’ Moshe Cordovero) says in Tomer Devorah (ch. 3), one “should be a father to all the creatures of the Holy One, Blessed is He,” and one’s “mercy should extend to all creatures, neither destroying nor despising any of them. …In this way man’s pity should be extended to all the works of the Blessed One just as the Supernal Wisdom despises no created thing for they are all created from that source.” One “should despise no created thing, for they all were created in Wisdom. He should not uproot anything which grows, unless it is necessary, nor kill any living thing unless it is necessary.”
I don’t know that it’s absolutely prohibited in a strict halachic sense, although there is a general prohibition on causing undue suffering to an animal. As with most questions of a halachic nature on this website, I think you need to talk to a posek and tell him the exact circunstances you’re thinking about.
Hello uneeq,
I felt very sad when I read your post. I have spent years trying to help homeless pets by working at shelters or taking them into my own home. I would respectfully ask you to consider, before you post something like you did above, that at least some posters here find value in the lives of these animals and consider them to be beautiful creatures of G-d’s. Thank you.
In Jerusalem, cats are another form of rodents (worse IMO). Finding a new home for them is as practical as finding one for homeless mosquitos. Forgive me for taking on the worlds opinion of getting rid of rodents.
“And God will give you mercy, and show mercy to you” (Deuteronomy 13:18). God will instill in you the trait of mercy and compassion; then He will “show mercy to you.” If one has mercy upon living creatures, Heaven will have mercy upon him (Shabbos 151b). However, if a person lacks mercy, there is no difference between him and a beast, which is not sensitive to the suffering of other creatures (Rabbi Yehudah HeChassid, Sefer Chassidim, 87).
“One should respect all creatures, recognizing in them the greatness of the Creator Who formed man with wisdom. All creatures are imbued with the Creator’s wisdom, which itself makes them greatly deserving of honor. The Maker of All, the Wise One Who transcends everything, is associated with His creatures in having made them. If one were to disparage them, God forbid, this would reflect upon the honor of their Maker.” (Ramak, Tomer Devorah, ch. 2).
Heres what I found on Halachafortoday.com
256) Q: Is it against halacha to euthanize a pet? Our cat is 19 years old and is simply dying of old age. The vet gave us a list of sicknesses she may be suffering from but there is no cure at this stage of the game for any of those possible problems. I have been under the impression forever that it is against halacha to euthanize an animal. A close relative (who knows how to learn) claims otherwise and is urging us to put the cat down. Is there a heter to do this?
Apart from whether it is halachicly permissible, let’s just remember that as it is natural for humans to feel more sympatheic toward creatures of higher intelligence (since they are closer to humans themselves), wanting to kill one for no particluar reason probably means you are a psychopath.
Oneofmany
A dolphin may be of some sort of higher intelligence. Not a cat.
-_- As opposed to bugs, guys. Answering the question as asked.
WIY: They do say that dolphins are the most intelligent of the animals, but why do you think that means that they are the only intelligent creatures?
There are more ways to skin a cat than a bug.
Speaking of which, we saw a huuuuuuuuuuuuge toad on friday night. My niece was scared as blazes of it.
OneOfMany, so does that mean it is assur to kill mice? ^_^
WIY – I question how much experience you have with cats (and dolphins). I doubt any.
@uneeq, I’m not going to waste words on you.
I myself took 3 cats straight off the streets of Jerusalem, took them into my house and took them with me when I moved to the UK. They’ll be staying with me as long as they live, hopefully at least another 15 years or so.
Actually there was a fourth cat as well, but she unfortunately didn’t live, since she was too weak and wounded when we found her (and I failed to notice that she was severely hypothermic and did not handle that appropriately).
Animals are created to serve us. If they can serve us in death, we have all the right to kill them, no matter how “intelligent” they are.
Well, if they are trying to steal your brain (or if they are named Brain)… ^_^
Bubka, why would you even ASK such a thing?!? Killing animals simply for the sake of killing is CRUEL. Hashem teaches us that we need to have respect for ALL creation, including animals. I’m fairly certain that the ONLY, and I repeat ONLY times you should be killing animals is if they are sick/injured and suffering to the point where you cannot heal/cure them in any way, and to release them from their pain, OR, if the animals are kosher and you’re going to shecht them for Jewish consumption, but of course this does not apply to cats. yytz said it more succinctly than I did.
Uneeq, you’re forgetting that those “filthy” cats that are homeless and running feral around Jerusalem, were once brought in to kill infestations of rats and mice. If someone were kind enough to spay/neuter many of them, as well as give them homes, you won’t have to deal with them. On the other hand, if you don’t like cats, just move away from them.
Curiosity: For the last time, it was an accident!!!
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Finala: On the other hand, if you don’t like cats, just move away from them.
Now you’ve just taken animal-loving to crazy-person levels.
It is insane, they absolutely must put out poison in jerusalem.
A pet cat is privately owned property of someone, so you are destroying their property.
While feral cats may seem like a pest, they really don’t live off garbage. They live off rodents. Rodents are quite bad. Some have said a major factor in the introduction of the Bubonic plague (Black Death) in parts of Europe was a wave of “cat killing” (the Christians decided they were really witches).
Killing some insects may raise a similar problem. For example, most spiders are harmless to humans, they eat meany mean and nasty (from a human perspective) insects.
Then of course, there is the halachic issue of causing unnecessary pain to animals, which would apply even to animals that are annoying or dangerous to humans, and all the more so to those that are beneficials (such as ones that kill rats, or mosquitoes).
I have Internet where Iam so I can still visit the Coffee Room after all when I am away!
Popa, having known people whose cats were poisoned to death, I know that it is a very painful, excruciating death. It is not kind to do this to any animal.
Having a pet can teach children responsibility and compassion for all of Hashem’s creatures. If we cover the challah at kiddush as a lesson that the challah shouldn’t be ’embarrassed’ (and therefore we should be be careful not to embarrass our fellow Jews), then having a pet can also be a constant reminder to be aware of our actions and to extend consideration to people around us as well – ‘be careful not to step on the cat/little sibling’, ‘make sure the dog has food and water/offer family members & guests a drink/food’ (kibbud av v’em & hachnassas orchim), etc…
I didnt want to start a new thread, maybe someone can help me out here. A neighbor o fmine feeds the strays in our neighborhood and actually makes trails to bring them to her house. Being near her house is so nauseating as the smell is horrible!! Frankly i dont care if she feeds them forever, if not for the fact that they started to come into my back yard at all hours of the night and meow so loud! I think it is only 1 or 2 cats that are consistantly doing this. It sounds like a baby crying which wakes me up every time. They are worse than my kids were as infants! We put out a powder (looks like black pepper) to keep them away and it worked for a few days. (the container said its good for cats dogs and rabbits)
However, it is getting expensive to keep buying and annoying to constantyl powder our driveway and backyard. I’m so fed up with these cats i suggested we put out poison.
Anyone ever had this issue that can help us?!
In your case the animal is causing a nuisance, so killing it would be like killing a fly that is coming to your food.
Tzaar baalei chayim. Also, people who kill small animals with no remorse, often turn out to be headed in Charlie Manson’s direction.
While I am not in favor of killing anything larger than a rodent, a cat is in a category all by itself. a) it has 9 lives and b) there is a precedent that when curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back.
miritchka- as a resident of yerushalayim, im more than aquainted with your problem. try soaking a bunch of rags in bleach, and hanging them up in your backyard. cats hate the smell because its so strong. works every time. if it doesnt, use more bleach.
Use a crossbow… it’ll get them every time!! 😀
You know what inspired me to click on this thread about killing cats? Curiosity!
It may be against the law to kill a stray cat.
Curiosity killed the cat!
Ken Zayn: lol, that’s good. ^_^
Remember: Raabbeinu Hakadosh got Yesurim for 13 years after ignoring the cries of a cow doomed for slaughter.
I think cats are a bit scary. They are just mini tigers. I always imagine a cat in the street will go bonkers and attack me with the full ferocity of a starved lion or tiger. Maybe I drink too much coffee lol.
Thank you! i will try the bleach…
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