What should be a Christian's attitude toward pets? Many modern people treat cats and dogs better than their neighbors, spending significant time and money on them. What should one do with kittens if no one wants to adopt them? Some people even set up animal shelters at home.

What should be a Christian’s attitude toward pets? Many modern people treat cats and dogs better than their neighbors, spending significant time and money on them. What should one do with kittens if no one wants to adopt them? Some people even set up animal shelters at home. #

A healthy attitude toward all animals should be based on the understanding that all animals are created by God. When the Lord created the visible and invisible world, He saw that everything He made was very good. Adam and Eve in Paradise were allowed to eat from every tree, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After the Fall, when Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise, the Lord gave them all plants for food. Later, after the Great Flood, God permitted people to eat all animals, provided they avoided consuming blood. From the earliest times, God also accepted animal sacrifices, as evidenced by Abel’s pleasing offering. The Mosaic Law codified elaborate rules about blood sacrifices, which, according to the teachings of the Church Fathers, prefigured the ultimate Sacrifice—the Blood of the Son of God. After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the need for blood sacrifices ended, as the blood of bulls and goats could not truly cleanse those offering it.

The distinction between clean and unclean animals, associated with dietary laws and sacrifices, dates back to ancient times. For instance, before the Flood, Noah was commanded by God:

“Of every clean animal, take with you seven pairs, male and female, and of the animals that are not clean, one pair, male and female.”
(Genesis 7:2)

This distinction was reaffirmed in the Mosaic Law, which provided specific criteria for clean and unclean animals. However, the abolition of blood sacrifices in Christian worship rendered this distinction less relevant. This led to a return to the principle given by God to Noah after the Flood:

“And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that moves on the earth and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.’”
(Genesis 9:1–4)

This principle is echoed in the vision of the Apostle Peter, who saw various “clean and unclean” animals and heard God’s command:

“Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

When Peter objected, stating he had never eaten anything impure or unclean, God replied:

“What God has made clean, do not call common.”
(Acts 10:13–15)

Similarly, in the First Epistle to Timothy, Paul warns against those who forbid certain foods:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared … who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good.”
(1 Timothy 4:1–5)

This perspective was consistently upheld by Orthodox Christians throughout the centuries. Even the fasting practices sometimes included unique provisions, such as the allowance of shellfish (e.g., mussels) as fasting food in certain regions. In Russian piety, there arose a cultural aversion to some types of meat or fish, not based on Scripture but on ascetic customs and a striving for purity.

Thus, a healthy Christian attitude toward animals should be kind and caring, recognizing them as God’s creation entrusted to humanity’s stewardship. It is wrong to kill or harm animals for amusement or whims. Following traditional spiritual practices of cleanliness and self-discipline, one should avoid keeping dogs or wild animals without necessity (for example, a guide dog for a blind person could be an exception). Treating animals responsibly will help a good Christian find homes for kittens and prevent creating an unmanageable animal shelter at home. Maintaining moderation in love for animals is essential to preserve balance and focus on higher spiritual priorities.

— Priest Mikhail Rodin.