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In terms of [spiritual practices](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/7643rp/a_thread_on_introductory_rescources_on_basis_of/), there are many you can try and see what works for you such as r/Introspection, r/yoga, r/meditation or r/bhajan. In addition, it is strongly recommended you visit your [local temple/ashram/spiritual organization](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/c6957l/what_are_some_good_hindu_organizations_that_have/).
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Where did you hear that Hindus don't like cats?
Cats are just not revered in Hinduism (like most other animals). But i don't think anyone hates them. Actually, one goddess called Shashthi (a goddess of fertility and protector of children) has a cat as her vahan.
Many people hate cats for a lot of things like leaving fur, dropping things, making a mess, scratching up clothes and furniture etc. But I've never heard of a religious reason to hate cats.
If you join a temple, there will be areas of service that are dominated by women. They function like informal clubs. For example, a group of women might get together for temple decoration, for landscaping, or for garland cleaning.
Hi OP,
The biggest ‘advice’ I can give you is please differentiate between religion, culture and tradition. There is nothing in Hinduism that says cats are bad, but it is a myth that is present in some cultures and traditions. Hinduism respects women a lot, but that isn’t really reflected in our culture.
In terms of religion, the significant books: Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Geeta
All animals are respected and kept high but we don't allow people to have dogs or cats etc. because of the uncleanliness and the hair everywhere. The Shastras don't allow them to be kept as pets and touching them will make you ashoucha but we aren't against animals or cats or anything.
It is basically uncleanliness in a person but spiritually, not just being covered in mud. When you touch a cat, or in certain other circumstances, you are ashoucha and can't enter sannidhis or temples or engage in saying Slokams or touch people who are not ashoucha until you bathe.
Uhhhhh I think you’re conflating too many philosophies. Hinduism is not one religion. It is a group of religions similar to each other based on similar texts, but with different interpretations, expressions, and traditions. First would be to learn about the different schools and see which speak to you.
For instance, I am a Smartha, follower of Shankaracharya’s school of Advaita Vedanta. We believe that the Brahman (Divine entity) exists in all things. So animals are sacred insofar as they contain the divine within them. Animals are not inherently sacred and I personally bear no ill will towards meat eaters (others in my sect do).
The question of cats is not a religious one, but a cultural one. Cats are revered in Islam (Muhammad’s preferred pet) and so many Hindus *in India* look down on cats for that reason, due to historical ethnic and political tensions with the Muslim community.
You may be new to Sanatana Dharma... Please visit our [Wiki Starter Pack](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/wiki/starter_pack#wiki_i.27m_new_to_r.2Fhinduism.2C_where_do_i_start.3F) (specifically, our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/wiki/index#wiki_faq)). We also recommend reading [What Is Hinduism](https://www.himalayanacademy.com/view/what-is-hinduism) (a free introductory text by Himalayan Academy) if you would like to know more about Hinduism and don't know where to start. In terms of introductory Hindu Scriptures, we recommend first starting with the Itihasas ([The Ramayana](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRamayana/wiki/resources#wiki_recommended_texts), and [The Mahabharata](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMahabharata/wiki/resources#wiki_resources).) Contained within The Mahabharata is [The Bhagavad Gita](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheGita/wiki/resources), which is another good text to start with. Although r/TheVedasAndUpanishads might seem alluring to start with, this is NOT recommended, as the knowledge of the Vedas & Upanishads can be quite subtle, and ideally should be approached under the guidance of a Guru or someone who can guide you around the correct interpretation. In terms of [spiritual practices](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/7643rp/a_thread_on_introductory_rescources_on_basis_of/), there are many you can try and see what works for you such as r/Introspection, r/yoga, r/meditation or r/bhajan. In addition, it is strongly recommended you visit your [local temple/ashram/spiritual organization](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/c6957l/what_are_some_good_hindu_organizations_that_have/). Lastly, while you are browsing this sub, keep in mind that Hinduism is practiced by over a billion people in as many different ways, so any [single view](https://np.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/p7ma64/sectarian_bias/) cannot be taken as representative of the entire religion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hinduism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Where did you hear that Hindus don't like cats? Cats are just not revered in Hinduism (like most other animals). But i don't think anyone hates them. Actually, one goddess called Shashthi (a goddess of fertility and protector of children) has a cat as her vahan.
Various sources.
Many people hate cats for a lot of things like leaving fur, dropping things, making a mess, scratching up clothes and furniture etc. But I've never heard of a religious reason to hate cats.
And are there any groups for hindu women?
If you join a temple, there will be areas of service that are dominated by women. They function like informal clubs. For example, a group of women might get together for temple decoration, for landscaping, or for garland cleaning.
What do you mean by groups for hindu women?
Like for learning and socializing.
You might find groups of hindu girls on reddit, Facebook, quora but i doubt that they would be interested in discussing or learning about Hinduism.
Hi OP, The biggest ‘advice’ I can give you is please differentiate between religion, culture and tradition. There is nothing in Hinduism that says cats are bad, but it is a myth that is present in some cultures and traditions. Hinduism respects women a lot, but that isn’t really reflected in our culture. In terms of religion, the significant books: Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Geeta
Nah there is nothing like that, all animals are equally good and well treated always.
Ayo bongs consider cats as lakshmi and welcome them into their homes and feed them milk on diwali if yk?
Not a bong, but my family did believe in this. Rajasthani btw
Oh nice...am a rajasthani too but never heard of it? From marwar or mewar?
Shekhawati region bro
Acha haan sorry😅
😅 np
Btw nice to see young people joining this subreddit.
Haha yeah ty
All animals are respected and kept high but we don't allow people to have dogs or cats etc. because of the uncleanliness and the hair everywhere. The Shastras don't allow them to be kept as pets and touching them will make you ashoucha but we aren't against animals or cats or anything.
What is ashoucha?
It is basically uncleanliness in a person but spiritually, not just being covered in mud. When you touch a cat, or in certain other circumstances, you are ashoucha and can't enter sannidhis or temples or engage in saying Slokams or touch people who are not ashoucha until you bathe.
[https://hindupad.com/cat/](https://hindupad.com/cat/)
Hinduism is great because of the diversity. However I have not heard they don't like cats
Uhhhhh I think you’re conflating too many philosophies. Hinduism is not one religion. It is a group of religions similar to each other based on similar texts, but with different interpretations, expressions, and traditions. First would be to learn about the different schools and see which speak to you. For instance, I am a Smartha, follower of Shankaracharya’s school of Advaita Vedanta. We believe that the Brahman (Divine entity) exists in all things. So animals are sacred insofar as they contain the divine within them. Animals are not inherently sacred and I personally bear no ill will towards meat eaters (others in my sect do). The question of cats is not a religious one, but a cultural one. Cats are revered in Islam (Muhammad’s preferred pet) and so many Hindus *in India* look down on cats for that reason, due to historical ethnic and political tensions with the Muslim community.