The Narratives – Mohamed Miah

By Mohamed Miah

If cats could speak, they’d probably say, “Leave our testicles alone.” It’s not much to ask, yet in Western societies, neutering has become so normalised that few stop to question it. Is it really about compassion, or is it another way to control animals, rooted in capitalist convenience? In places like Palestine, Turkey, and across much of Asia, cats roam freely, their instincts intact, living harmoniously alongside humans. They don’t need to be neutered or declawed to fit into the community. So why does the West, with its industrialised systems, insist on such invasive control?

The Natural Role of Cats

Cats are nature’s pest controllers, not problems to be solved. Historically, they were domesticated for their unmatched ability to keep rats, mice, and cockroaches in check. These pests carry diseases, ruin food supplies, and cause havoc—problems that cities like New York and London are all too familiar with today. The irony? The decline of free-roaming cats in these urban areas has allowed pest populations to explode.

In places like Palestine or Istanbul, you see the opposite. Cats are everywhere—on streets, in mosques, even lounging in bustling markets. They’re loved, fed, and cared for by the community. More importantly, they’re respected for their natural instincts. They hunt when needed, maintain the balance, and go about their lives as cats should. No one’s neutering them, declawing them, or breeding them into grotesque versions of themselves.

This is the balance of nature at work. And it works. Cats don’t need mass sterilisation to prevent overpopulation. Their numbers are naturally regulated by factors like food availability, predators, and environmental pressures. In the Middle East, there’s no “cat problem” despite the lack of neutering programs. Yet in the West, despite all its control measures, stray populations are still an issue. Why? Because the root cause isn’t the cats—it’s the systems built around them.

The Western Obsession With Control

In Western societies, cats have been turned into commodities. The pet industry, worth billions, overbreeds cats for profit, creating designer pets like miniatures, flat-faced breeds, or cats groomed to look like tiny lions. It’s cruel beyond belief. These practices prioritise aesthetics over health, leading to animals suffering from deformities, breathing problems, and shortened lifespans—all for the sake of profit and human vanity.

Declawing is another horror still legal in parts of the USA. It’s not just trimming nails; it’s amputating the last joint of a cat’s toes. Imagine someone cutting off your fingers at the knuckle so you don’t scratch the furniture. That’s what it feels like. Cats declawed in the name of “convenience” often suffer lifelong pain and behavioural problems, yet the practice continues because it fits into a mindset where animals are reshaped to fit human needs.

And then there’s the issue of neutering. In the West, neutering is promoted as a solution to overpopulation, but it’s not really about compassion. It’s about control. It strips cats of their instincts, makes them docile, and removes their natural behaviours. Neutered cats often become lethargic, gaining weight and losing the vibrant personality that makes cats, well, cats. The ultimate irony? The same societies that preach about freedom and individuality for humans are quick to deny it to animals.

Spiritual Compassion Over Control

In Islam, animals are seen as a trust (amanah) from Allah. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was known for his kindness to animals, including cats. He allowed a cat to drink from his ablution water and even cut off part of his cloak so as not to disturb a sleeping cat. Nowhere in Islamic teachings is there support for neutering. Instead, Islam emphasises compassion, care, and coexistence. If you cannot care for an animal, you’re encouraged to leave it be—not interfere with its natural design.

This spiritual perspective shines in places like Palestine, where cats roam freely, cared for by the community but never controlled. They’re not commodities to be bought and sold. They’re companions, respected for who they are. Compare this to the West, where cats are overbred, neutered, and reshaped to suit human convenience. It’s a stark contrast that reflects deeper cultural values, one rooted in compassion, the other in commodification.

A Call for Change

It’s time to rethink how we treat cats—and animals in general. The Middle Eastern model of community care offers a better way forward. Instead of breeding and neutering animals to fit artificial standards, we should focus on:

1. Banning Cruel Practices: End declawing, overbreeding, and grooming trends that harm animals.

2. Regulating Breeders: Tackle the root cause of overpopulation by cracking down on irresponsible breeding.

3. Promoting Community Care: Encourage shared responsibility for stray cats, as seen in places like Palestine and Istanbul.

4. Letting Cats Be Cats: Respect their instincts, behaviours, and roles in the ecosystem.

The obsession with controlling animals reflects a broader sickness in Western society, a disconnection from nature and a need to commodify everything, even life itself. But animals are not products, and they are not problems. They are alive, dignified, have instincts, and purpose. It’s time we treated them as such.

The World Could Learn From Palestine

In Palestine, cats roam freely into Al-Aqsa Mosque, where they’re loved by worshippers. They are a part of the community, contributing to the balance of life.

The West, with all its wealth and technology, could learn something from this approach. Instead of reshaping animals to fit into our lives, we should reshape our attitudes to fit into theirs. Let cats be cats. Let dogs be dogs. And let us, as humans, rediscover the compassion and respect we seem to have lost along the way.