The Ruling on Killing Harmful Cats and Dogs

Question:
Is it forbidden to kill cats or dogs that cause harm to birds, or that eat them? If my mother killed a group of cats, one by strangling and another by burning with hot water, because it was difficult to catch these cats, what should she do now if killing them is forbidden?

Answer:
If cats or dogs cause harm, like the vicious dog, it is killed, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The vicious dog is killed in the open land and in the sacred precinct. Likewise, the cat that causes harm, eating chickens, eating pigeons, and driving it away does not help, but rather it is driven away and it comes back and eats and causes harm, then it is killed.
As for if it is easy to drive it away and keep it at a distance without killing it, then that is sufficient and it is not killed. Likewise, it is not killed by fire; because fire is not used to punish except by Allah. It is killed by means other than fire, killed by poison or by beating if it is not possible to get rid of it except by that.
As for if it is easy to drive it away, keep it at a distance, and frighten it until it stays away, then it is not killed.
So if a person is compelled to kill a cat because of its harm and the inability to get rid of it by any other means, there is no harm, but not by fire. As for the dog, it is not killed unless it is vicious. But if it causes harm, it is driven away. It is driven away from the farm, driven away from the neighborhood, kept at a distance, and not killed unless it harms others, if it bites people, if it maims people, yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.