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Do I need to feed my cat kosher pet food?


In general, the laws of kosher are for (Jewish) humans, not for animals.

There are, however, two sorts of non-kosher food that we are not only forbidden to eat, but we are also forbidden to derive any benefit from:

1) Chametz on Passover. (Click here for more on this topic.)

2) A cooked mixture of dairy and meat.1

So pet food that does not contain both milk and meat is fine for year-round use.2 If, however, the product contains meat, then this product may only be used if it doesn't also contain milk (or a milk derivative, such as whey or casein).

I should point out, though, that the "meat" that we may not cook with milk, or may not benefit from if it was cooked with milk, is meat from a kosher animal.3 Therefore, if it can be determined that the meat in the pet food comes from a non-kosher animal (such as horse meat), then it is "kosher" for your pet.4

Rabbi Eliezer Danzinger for Chabad.org

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FOOTNOTES
1.

Code of Jewish Law, Yoreh De'ah 87:1; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 46:5. Cooking such a mixture is itself prohibited.

2.

Except on Passover, when we have to be certain that the product contains no chametz.

3.

Code of Jewish Law, ibid. par. 3.

4.

Some authorities permit feeding stray animals meat and milk mixtures, since you don't derive any apparent benefit. But other authorities forbid this as well, maintaining that by fulfilling your desire to feed a stray, you benefit too.


By Eliezer Danzinger   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author
Rabbi Eliezer Danzinger, first content editor for KabbalaOnline.org, is the translator and editor of several important Chasidic texts. He also serves as the Jewish chaplain for York Central Hospital, and for numerous Federal prisons. Rabbi Danzinger currently resides in Toronto, Canada, with his wife, Yehudis, and their children.

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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: Feb 24, 2009
Not to animals, but to humans with animals!
Anonymous: You are right that animals are not obligated in mitzvos of the Torah (obviously), however, this article is not irrelevant, since it deals with dietary laws for humans with animals. The Torah states that "chametz (leaven) shall not be seen in your dwellings", therefore, even if it's only your animal eating chametz, YOU are violating G-d's law. 2nd: Torah states three times "you shall not cook a kid in its mother's milk." The bishul (cooking) is forbidden, nothing is said about eating. We derive that eating, otherwise using, and benefitting from such a mixture is forbidden because of the repetitive commandment. Since you benefit by feeding your pet, if you feed them a milk/meat mixture, YOU violate a Torah law (not your pet).
Posted By Avram, Silver Spring, MD

Posted: July 21, 2008
The Dietary laws do NOT apply to animals!
Neither the dietary restrictions G-d gave to Noah or Moses applies to animals. An example would be the prohibition against eating blood and flesh torn from live animals. This prohibition applies to both Jews and Gentiles. However, certain animal species (vampire bats) drink blood and some carnivores (certain snakes and bears, for example) eat their prey while it is still alive. These examples from nature show that neither the Noachide or Mosaic dietary restrictions apply to animals. They are only for humans to follow. As such, this whole article seems to be irrelevant.
Posted By Anonymous

Posted: June 11, 2008
Don't Feed your Cats Cows milk!
Actually, there is special milk for kittens at pet shop, but as a rule, you should not feed your cat cows milk...it is too strong for their stomachs. The cartoons featuring cats drinking milk is wrong! The cats like milk, since they drink milk from their mothers as kittens and this reminds them of that, but they are sensatiable when it comes to food, so will overlook the fact that you have just handed them cows milk and drink it all up. So, STOP giving your cat cows milk, you are just destroying their stomachs.
Posted By Snowy the Cat

Posted: June 11, 2008
Are you actually allowed to have a house pet?
I always thought that the chassidic / charedi (and what is the difference) are not allowed pets in their house because there are too many hungry humans.
I'm thirstink for the answer on this one.
Posted By Debbie Frances Brown, Manchester, England

Posted: June 6, 2008
My kosher cat
I noticed that if I give my cat some milk and cat food within the space of six hours that his stomach becomes quite torrentiously unhappy! Kasrut laws about times between meat and dairy could apply to a cat!
Posted By Anonymous



 


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