 Although no species are sacred in Islam , cats are revered by Muslims . Some Western writers have stated Muhammad had a favorite cat , <unk> . He is reported to have loved cats so much , " he would do without his cloak rather than disturb one that was sleeping on it " . The story has no origin in early Muslim writers , and seems to confuse a story of a later Sufi saint , Ahmed ar @-@ Rifa 'i , centuries after Muhammad . 
