A cat in Algeria reminded an imam that members of her species get scritches when they want them — even in the middle of prayers during Islam’s most sacred month.
Cats are allowed to come and go as they please in mosques, and Muslims view cats favorably, in part because the Prophet Mohammad was fond of them. There’s even a famous story about Mohammad cutting his sleeve off instead of disturbing one of his favorite cats, who was sleeping comfortably on the sleeve when the prophet was getting up for prayer time.
On Wednesday, Imam Sheikh Walid Mehsas was leading tarawih — an evening prayer — when a calico rubbed up against his legs, meowed and then climbed up to his shoulder. She continued rubbing affectionately against him as he continued the prayer:
The prayers were broadcast on a live stream and the moment quickly went viral, with many praising the imam for his patience and love for the cat even as he led an important prayer. (Some comments on the live stream indicated the cat may belong to the imam, or the other way around, although that has not been confirmed.)
After leaning into the microphone as if she was going to join in the evening prayer, kitty thought better of it and hopped down off the imam’s shoulder, opting instead to claim a few more humans as her servants by rubbing up against their legs.
Whether by demanding pets during religious ceremonies, invading the diamond and pitch during baseball and soccer matches, or casually strolling on stage during concerts, cats have shown little regard for human activities and, true to their reputations, have made it clear that cat time takes priority over human time.
Despite that, or perhaps in part because of it, we still love the little stinkers. Perhaps that explains why I can never be mad at Bud, even when he plops himself in front of the screen during crucial moments in video games or tugs down at a book I’m reading, to demand I give him his scritches. I am his humble servant.
Pain In The Bud 
And thus is the order of cat-human relationships throughout the world! As it should be.
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That’s what Bud says too. I say “Remember who feeds you snacks, Buddy!” and he says “Exactly.”
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I noticed no one in background was laughing. I could never contain my laughter.
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I suppose it being a serious religious service and all, people are more sober and restrained.
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💕♥️
there’s also the legend that the M on top of tabby cats’ heads got there when Mohammed blessed them for saving (him? someone?) from a viper. Of course, if his original name was in arabic, Sanskrit, some such non-english/roman hand, how could it be an M. lol. always loved that one.
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Yeah in Arabic the approximate “m” sound almost looks like a question mark: م or “mim.”
It would make more sense if the legend said Mohammad gave cats their question-mark tail position, indicating happiness.
Although I believe to avoid confusion, question marks in Arabic are reversed and appear at the beginning of the sentence.
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A similar legend has Mary instead of Mohammed blessing a cat.
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That is so sweet and funny!!
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Thank you for speaking respectfully about Islamic practice instead of reporting this incident tongue in cheek.
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Of course. It was a sweet moment and I have respect for everyone’s religious beliefs. This is a cat blog, but we’ve gotten on the topic of religion a few times when the topics of cats and faith intersect, for example when Pope Francis issued an encyclical declaring that, in the Catholic faith, animals have souls and it is our responsibility to treat them well as God’s creatures and act as good stewards of the Earth.
If you like cats, please feel free to look around. This blog covers domestic cats as well as wild cats, big cat conservation issues, feline-related news and some cat humor thrown in for good measure. Cheers.
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Ha! I wish my mother (a strict Catholic) was alive to hear that!
We had a HUGE argument when I was about 10 because I said animals have souls and she didn’t agree. She finally sent me to the priest to put me right, but he couldn’t convince me either.
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https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html
“Eternal life will be a shared experience of awe, in which each creature, resplendently transfigured, will take its rightful place…”
“We must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures. The Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism.”
The pope also says it’s beneath human dignity to exploit animals.
There’s a lot more of that in “Laudato Si,” including a clear rejection of the claim that animals are simply resources for us to use, or that God put them on Earth for our convenience. That’s a much more important statement than it seems at first, because for centuries many people have used Old Testament quotes as justification for treating animals abominably, and still do.
There’s no ambiguity in Pope Francis’ words, and in an encyclical he’s speaking as the pope, not as Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
The things Pope Francis says in Laudato Si have been widely praised by atheists, animal rights activists and conservationists, because he’s talking about responsible stewardship of the Earth.
So Catholic or not, I think people who love animals will find wisdom in his words.
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Of course. It was a sweet moment and I have respect for everyone’s religious beliefs. This is a cat blog, but we’ve gotten on the topic of religion a few times when the topics of cats and faith intersect, for example when Pope Francis issued an encyclical declaring that, in the Catholic faith, animals have souls and it is our responsibility to treat them well as God’s creatures and act as good stewards of the Earth.
If you like cats, please feel free to look around. This blog covers domestic cats as well as wild cats, big cat conservation issues, feline-related news and some cat humor thrown in for good measure. Cheers.
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Thanks for this heartwarming video, Big Buddy. With all the horrible news lately a sweet moment like that goes a long way.
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