Judaism and Cats

Though cats were commonly kept as pets in the ancient Near East, especially in Egyptian society, cats are not mentioned often in traditional Jewish sources. In fact, small cats are not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible at all, though some of their larger relatives, particularly lions, feature prominently. But the Talmud does mention cats several times. There, they seem to occupy a crossroads between wild and domesticated, dangerous and helpful.

In Shabbat 51b, for example, the rabbis are discussing which items worn by animals are necessary for human safety and control and which are not (because unnecessary equipment on the animal is considered a burden the animal should not carry in public spaces on Shabbat). The rules are different for domesticated and non-domesticated animals and it is in this context that cats appear as an example of an animal that is not domesticated — yet sometimes accompanying humans and wearing a collar. 

The image of a cat as a wild animal is most pronounced on Bava Kamma 80b where a cat tragically attacks a baby and severs its hand. This initiates a discussion among the sages about the safety of keeping cats. Rav, clearly affected by the attack on the baby, makes the following declaration:

With regard to a cat, it is permitted to kill it (even if it is privately owned); and it is prohibited to maintain it in one’s possession; and it is not subject to the prohibition against theft; and, in the case of a lost cat, it is not subject to the obligation of returning a lost item to its owner.

Obviously designed to discourage cat ownership, this ruling also reveals that in the rabbis’ world there were in fact people who kept cats as pets. In response to Rav’s declaration, the Gemara offers another teaching that describes why some people might have found cats useful around the house:

Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: One may raise village dogs, cats, monkeys, and genets, because they serve to clean the house of mice and other vermin.

Other texts in the Talmud also recognize cats as useful mousers (see Bava Metzia 97a), and they are even admired for their prowess as hunters. However, their predatory nature is also considered a liability, especially to chickens (see Peah 3:7 and Hullin 52b). 

Modern pet owners sometimes remark that cats, on average, do not view their owners as masters with reverence or obedience in the way dogs do. A similar sentiment is found in the Talmud:

The students of Rabbi Elazar asked him: For what reason does a dog recognize its master, while a cat does not recognize its master? Rabbi Elazar said to them: If it is established that with regard to one who eats from that which a mouse eats, eating that item causes him to forget, with regard to the cat, who eats the mouse itself, all the more so does eating it cause it to forget. (Horayot 13a)

Rabbi Yohanan, on the other hand, sees cats as one of several animals whose behavior teaches an important lesson: “Even if the Torah had not been given, we would nonetheless have learned modesty from the cat.” (Eruvin 100b). Why? Because cats are discrete and cover their own excrement.

In popular imagination, cats have often been aligned with the mystical and magical, and Jewish tradition is no exception. Tractate Berakhot prescribes a ritual to see demons involving the afterbirth of a firstborn female black cat (Berakhot 6a). Cats are also recognized as dream portents; depending on where the dreamer sees the cat in their dream, they will either experience good fortune or an ominous shift in circumstances (Berakhot 56b).

Today, in much of the world, including many Jewish homes, cats are beloved pets. In the modern State of Israel, feral cats are a common sight and are found roaming public spaces. Thus, they continue to occupy a liminal space in Jewish life — sometimes domestic, sometimes wild.

Curious what ancient Jewish sources have to say about dogs? Find out.