Pesach and pets

[cellio]

During Pesach we are not permitted to eat, own, or benefit from chametz (leaven, but it's more complicated than that now). Traditional interpretations of halacha raise this as a problem for pet owners, because keeping your pets alive benefits you. So you have to find compliant forms of pet food, or send the pets elsewhere for a week, or perhaps sell the pets along with your chametz (I'm not sure if that works -- that would make you the custodian of someone else's pets for the week).

I think this interpretation of "benefit from" makes sense in the case of livestock (that you're ultimately going to profit from in some way), but I don't see it for pets. Pets aren't profit centers; they're family members -- you can argue about pecking order within the family, but that's another matter.

Still, I am mindful of the traditional problem. I can't change the food (one is on a special diet), and I'm not going to send them away or sell them, but I can still do something, without even invoking compassion or arguing about whether pikuach nefesh (serious health issues) applies to non-humans.

So, I hereby transfer ownership of the cat food in the house to the cats.

Comments

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

Well, my logic was much like cvirtue's. If they are family, and not just pets, then surely they are raised in their "Mother's" religion? :-)

With respect, though - I think the halacha in this is much ado about nothing. If the cats got out, and ate the neighbor's garbage including some stale bread, it would not be an issue.

But, let me take your logic in a different direction. If they are not exactly family, and not the sort of pet the Bible implies (because you don't receive a benefit), then they are either children (who need not practice) or room-mates. Room-mates who are not Jewish don't have to pay any attention to Halacha. Correct?

So, if you don't eat their kibble, you should be fine. :-)

[cellio]

If they are not exactly family, and not the sort of pet the Bible implies (because you don't receive a benefit), then they are either children (who need not practice) or room-mates. Room-mates who are not Jewish don't have to pay any attention to Halacha. Correct?

Non-Jews don't need to worry about any of this, right. It's just that the house, and by default its contents, are owned by Jews, and Jews aren't allowed to own chametz, so I have to make sure I don't own it. If I had a non-Jewish housemate I'd take care of the problem that way, as chaiya suggests.