Question: Can practicing Jews own dogs or cats? If so, what are the procedures when dealing with pets so that one is not unclean when eating and so forth?

Answer: Yes you can own a cat or a dog as a pet (my in laws have a dog!), and you can eat or handle food even after you have touched you pet.

There is one law which you should probably be aware of. The Talmud (Berachot 40a and Gittin 62a) states that one may not eat before he has fed his animals. The source for this prohibition is the verse (Deuteronomy 11:15) “I will give grass in your fields for your animal and you shall eat and be satisfied.” This rule is derived from the order in which the two sections of the verse are recorded. The Torah speaks first of providing for animals and only subsequently of satisfying human needs.

I hope this helps
Rabbi Yehoshua Lewis
www.RutgersJX.com