It’s not said to be mean or to judge people — it’s said because a cat suffers the most when it’s brought into the wrong household.

The phrase “not every household deserves a cat” comes from vets, rescuers, and people who have seen what happens after the cute kitten phase. It means: not every home is ready to give a cat what it actually needs to live a good life.

Here’s why people say it:

1. A cat is a 15-20 year commitment, not a phase.
Many people get a cat because kids want one, or it looks cute on Instagram, or it will catch mice. Then life changes — they move, have a baby, get a job abroad, or just get bored. The cat is then abandoned, given away in an OLX ad, or left on the street. A Persian cat raised indoors cannot survive outside. Rescuers in Karachi and other cities see this every week.

So the saying is really: If you can’t commit for its whole life, you don’t deserve its whole trust.

2. Cats cost money, every month.
It’s not just one-time food. It’s:

• Good quality food daily
• Litter that must be cleaned daily and replaced weekly
• Vaccinations, deworming, spay/neuter
• Emergency vet bills — which can be 10,000 to 50,000 Rs in one visit

If a family can’t afford that consistently, the cat is the one who gets sick and suffers in silence.

3. They need a safe and stable home, not just a roof.
Common reasons cats die or run away:

• Open balconies and windows in apartments
• Toxic plants like lilies, which can cause kidney failure
• Small kids who pull tails and throw them
• A house where people shout, hit, or where the cat is locked outside or in a bathroom

A cat needs calm, safety, and respect for its space. A chaotic or careless household can’t give that.

4. Cats are not low-effort toys.
People think cats are independent, so you can leave them alone for 2 days with a bowl of food. You can’t.

They need daily interaction, clean water, mental stimulation, and someone who understands their signals. A bored, lonely, or stressed cat will start scratching furniture, peeing outside the litter box, biting, or losing fur. Then the family says “the cat is badly behaved” and throws it out — when really, the cat was just unhappy.

5. Love has to be unconditional.
A lot of households want a cat that is always cuddly, never sheds, never scratches, never gets sick, and always uses the litter box perfectly.

A real cat will shed on your clothes, wake you up at 4am, get old and have kidney issues, and sometimes not want to be touched. If you only want the cute part, you don’t deserve the real animal.

In Islam, this has a deeper meaning too.
The Prophet ﷺ taught that caring for an animal is a reward, but imprisoning it without food or care is a sin that can lead to Hell. So if you take an animal into your home, you are taking its rizq and its safety into your hands before Allah.

That’s why rescuers say it so strongly. It’s not about being elite or gatekeeping pets. It’s about protecting the cat.

A better way to say it would be: Every cat deserves the right household.

And the right household is one that has time, money, knowledge, patience, and a commitment that doesn’t end when the novelty ends.

If a household doesn’t have that right now, the kindest thing it can do is not get a cat — but feed and help the strays outside until it is ready.

Hena’s Blog For Paws © 2019 by Hena Osman is licensed under CC BY 4.0