The afterlife of cats: where do the souls of pets go after death from the point of view of different religions

People have had a close bond with their pets—especially cats—for ages. Many people wonder what happens to a beloved feline companion’s soul after they pass away. For those who are grieving and looking for answers regarding what happens after death, the concept of an afterlife for animals provides comfort.

Diverse religious and cultural traditions hold differing views regarding the destiny of animal souls. Some people think that pets are welcome in the afterlife, just like people are, but others have more enigmatic or symbolic ideas. Each tradition’s spiritual beliefs can be seen in the journey that a cat’s soul takes after death.

Examining these perspectives gives us insight into how various religions respect the relationship between people and animals and helps us predict what may happen to our beloved pets in the future.

Where do cats go after death – versions in different religions

Religions differ in their answers to the question of what happens to dead animals. Animals are thought to be soulless beings somewhere, so when they pass away, they just vanish. In contrast, pets are associated with humans in other beliefs and are even thought to be capable of having human reincarnations in the future.

Orthodoxy

Fish, birds, and animals are all referred to as "living souls" in the Book of Genesis. They are not like plants, celestial bodies, or stones in this way.

God then spoke, saying, "Behold, I have given you every herb that bears seed that is on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit that yields seed." You will have it for food, and I have given every green plant for food to every animal on the planet, every bird in the sky, and every creeping creature that supports life. Text from Ancient Scriptures: Genesis 1:29–31.

However, Scripture also states that "the blood of the beast contains the life of the beast" (Old Testament, Leviticus 17:11). This statement is interpreted by most theologians as evidence that cats and dogs do not enter the Kingdom of Heaven after death. That is to say, the soul vanishes along with the blood when it solidifies in a deceased animal’s body. Humans are made up of three parts: the body, the soul, and the spirit, or Spark of God, which is transferred to either heaven or hell upon death, according to the second epistle of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians.

"According to Scripture, every animal’s soul is its blood, and since thickened blood and decomposing flesh decompose into the earth, an animal’s soul becomes dust and is unable to enter Heaven," Using the Hexaemeron, Saint Basil the Magnificent provided a biblical interpretation.

Unfortunately, however, cats are not considered to have the right to an afterlife in Orthodoxy because, in contrast to humans, they were not made in God’s image and do not possess an immortal Spirit.

Hinduism

Hinduism does not have the Afterlife with heaven and hell that is familiar to Christians. And the concept of the soul is very specific. A person, like cats and other animals, is endowed with atman. It is written about this sacred substance in the Rigveda: “Atman is what makes living beings see, hear, smell, speak, and recognize sweet and unsweet”. The fact that animals and people have identical atman is supported by the idea of ​​​​reincarnation. Any person can be reborn as a cat, and any cat in the next life can become a man or a woman. The process of migration continues until the spirit reaches moksha (liberation), as a result of which it loses its individual nature and becomes part of the Absolute (Universe).

Hindus believe that a black cat represents the goddess Shashthi, who guards women and children.

Buddhism

Buddhism is divided into several directions, among which are Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Lamaism, Zen Buddhism. Each of these schools has its own peculiarities in understanding death. The first Buddhist schools are characterized by the concept of dharma – a combination of immaterial particles that make up the entire Universe. “In Buddhist sacred books, the soul is specific, since it is a combination of four elements: sensations, ideas, desires and knowledge (or consciousness),” writes the historian of religion I. Kryvelev. And if there is no traditional concept of the soul, then there can be no talk of it going somewhere after the death of a person or a cat.

Zen Buddhists and Lamaists have slightly different perspectives on death. They hold that a person’s earthly life, thoughts, deeds, and level of "enlightenment" all influence their destiny after death. You will most likely be reincarnated as a stone or an animal, such as a cat, in the afterlife if you commit a great deal of evil. However, a cat’s soul may have the opportunity to enter the body of a newborn after it dies.

Buddhism does not practice cat worship, but its adherents do treat cats with respect because they think that their ancestors’ souls may reincarnate as cats.

Islam

Those belonging to the feline family are respected in Islam. For instance, there is a legend that states Muhammad saw a cat nursing her kittens with milk while she was lying in the middle of the road during the campaign to Uhud. The prophet preferred to alter the soldiers’ route so as not to frighten the furry family. Another story has it that when Muhammad banned the trade in cats, a cat by the name of Hazrati killed a snake that was about to attack the prophet.

What is the status of cats’ souls in Islam, though? Do animals have the right to an afterlife and does this religion acknowledge their existence? Although it gives them life, an animal’s spirit is not a "pass" to paradise. Cats and other animals will rise again after the Last Judgment, alongside humans, to answer to Allah for all of their deeds. On the Day of Judgment, everything that was once alive will come back to life in order to divide its rights among itself. According to Muslims, al-Birr, "Even a horned sheep will be repaid for every harm it caused out of malice."

Judaism

Whether animals go to heaven or not is not made very clear in the Torah. However, there are publications written by respected rabbis that address this issue. For instance, Saadia Gaon claims that an animal will eventually be compensated for all of the suffering it endured and for all of the joy it brought to humans in his philosophical article "Sefer Emunot Vedeiot." The Talmudic statement, "The Holy One, blessed be He, does not leave anyone without his due reward," served as the foundation for this viewpoint. According to Rabbi Saadia Gaon, this holds true for all living things, not just people.

Saadia Gaon’s critics contend that since animals lack souls, everything they own vanishes after they pass away. They cite the verse "And He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul" from the Bible as evidence for this. Cats are soulless and cannot enter Heaven because there is no evidence that God treated them the same way.

Since the Torah makes no mention of cats, some Orthodox Jews believe that they are soulless and dishonest, and that it is improper for anyone to touch or even have a purring cat in the home.

Why do they say that dead cats go to the rainbow

The Rainbow Bridge is a location at the very edge of the sky. An animal that passes away goes to the Rainbow Bridge, particularly if it was dearly loved by someone while it was still here. Our friends can run and play together in the countless hills and meadows. Our pets are warm and cozy, and there is an abundance of food, water, and sunlight. All old and sick animals in this land become young and vibrant again, and all injured and mutilated animals recover their health. "Legends of the Rainbow Bridge" by Paul C. Dahm (translated by Irina Petrakova)

The legend of the rainbow bridge where dead pets go is based on Bifrost from Scandinavian mythology. This is the name of the passage between Asgard (the heavenly city of the gods) and other worlds, including the underground one, where the souls of dead people live. There is not a word in Scandinavian myths about dead animals living on this bridge – this is nothing more than an artistic invention of poets and writers inspired by ancient legends (the very first author to tell about the Rainbow Bridge for cats was Paul Charles Dam, who published "The Legend of the Rainbow Bridge" in 1981). But readers liked this touching and beautiful version, so it quickly spread. Many began to sincerely believe that their furry pets go to a beautiful rainbow world after death.

The sad and lovely fairy tale that dead cats travel to the rainbow has nothing to do with any particular religion.

The relationship between people and their pets is deep and significant, despite the fact that various religions have different ideas about what happens to a cat’s soul after death. The love and memories we have of our cats never die; they never go to heaven, reincarnate, or return to the natural world. Instead, they live on in our hearts.

Many find solace in the concept of an afterlife, which aids in easing the grief of losing a cherished pet. It gives us comfort to know that our animal friends are happy and pain-free in their new home. Despite popular belief, our bond with our pets doesn’t end when they pass away.

In the end, what counts most is the love we give and receive. Even though they are no longer physically with us, cats’ spirits live on and leave paw prints on our hearts that never go away.

Diverse religious perspectives exist regarding the afterlife of felines. Some Christians hold that pets and other animals are a part of God’s creation and may one day be reunited with their owners in paradise. Hinduism believes that the soul travels through many lifetimes, and as such, cats may reincarnate as other beings. Buddhists believe that animals are a part of the rebirth cycle, where the soul transitions to a new existence. In the meantime, a number of contemporary spiritual traditions and beliefs contend that pets’ souls live on and continue to comfort or guard their owners.

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