Q & A - WITH RABBI RISKIN
Question: Our cat disappeared for two days; finally, we found
him at 6:00 a.m. on Shabbat morning. He was badly wounded, his face swollen,
mouth filled with blood, eye swollen and bloody.... He was unable to drink
or eat, could hardly move and, when touched, he would emit a very weak cry.
It was clear to us that he needed immediate medical attention and, although
we are shomrei Shabbat, we called the veterinarian who
instructed us to come immediately to his clinic. The vet operated on our
cat's broken lower jaw, the wounds inside his mouth and on one lost eye. He
told us that had we waited a few more hours, our cat would have lost
consciousness and died; by taking him, we saved his life.
Our question relates to Pikuach Nefesh -- we know that one may violate
Shabbat for the saving of a life, but we also understand that Pikuach Nefesh
relates only to a human life. We clearly didn't want to break Shabbat but on
the other hand, how could we keep Shabbat, sit for Kiddush and the seudot
while our beloved cat is dying right in front of us? Did we act
correctly?
Answer: According to most of the Poskim, prevention of tza'ar ba'alei
chaim is an obligation from the Torah and, therefore, it is crucial to do
all one can to prevent an animal from suffering.
With regard to chilul Shabbat, the gemarrah permits breaking Shabbat for the
purpose of saving the life (pikuach nefesh) - on the premise that it is
better to desecrate one Shabbat, in order to enable many more Shabbatot to
be kept in the future. On this basis, many poskim say that one should permit
chillul Shabbat only for a Jew, and not for a non-Jew. The Ramban, however,
does not rule this way and permits chilul Shabbat for the purpose of Pikuach
nefesh also for a non-Jew who keeps the seven Noahide laws.
However, all of the above relates specifically to human beings who were
created in the image of G-d. With all of our positive attitude towards
animals and pets, seeing as they were not created in the image of G-d, there
is no heter to desecrate the Shabbat for them. There are those who say that
one can ask a non-Jew to desecrate the Sabbath in order to save the life of
a dog or a cat.
