Cat and Rabbit Introduction

maherwoman

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Hey guys! We have two almost-two-year-old kitties (brother and sister), and have recently brought home a six-week-old bunny. I've read several articles saying that bunnies and kitties get along famously, but don't have much clue as to how to introduce them. So far, we've had Bunny (she's so young, we're not sure as to gender yet, and is responding to the name, so it might just stay as Bunny...lol) downstairs with the kitties, and just watched to see how each of them respond to one another. So far, things are going spendidly. The kitties have gotten a bit excited on a couple occasions, but we've let them know that Bunny is not a toy under any circumstances. Yesterday, my husband held each of the cats, in turn, and I held Bunny, and we let them sniff noses. They were each fine, and were curious, but no claws or teeth were bared...just plain curiousity. Bunny is doing absolutely fine, not scared in the least. She just sits there and eats, or hops around investigating the house, but is clearly a bit more relaxed being in our bedroom without kitties around (she's much more playful in her hopping, etc.).

Do any of you have kitties and bunnies living together? I was going to wait until Bunny was a bit bigger before introducing them, but she's not in the least bit afraid (a bit cautious, yes, but isn't scared) of them. She's your average domestic rabbit (not dwarf), and is only about six inches in size so far. As far as our kitties, Hobbes (male) is about 15lbs, and Sunny (female) is about 8lbs, so they are at least twice her size.

As far as their general attitude, the only time they've gotten truly excited about Bunny was in her twitchy, hoppity goofiness moments. Otherwise, they just sit or lay down about a yard away, and watch in curiousity. They're both very well-behaved and sweet, loving kitties, and they greatly respect what I say, so I'm not worried too much. I'm just hoping someone out there will have some advice, and let me know if I'm doing this correctly.

I know this isn't generally a Bunny Site, but I know that there are a lot of people out there that have a foster home with kitties, and have bunnies as well, and thought maybe you could shed some light on this. She's the first bunny I've ever had, and things are going well so far, but I'm lacking in the confidence I have with kitties. Lol...

Also, if anyone has any good information about bunnies, that would be helpful. I found a website of the House Rabbit Society that has a wealth of information, but still find myself not completely confident. Lol...I've had so many cats, and had gerbils at one time, and this bunny seems to be quite the perfect blending of both.

A thought...would it help things if I gave the kitties treats after Bunny's visit downstairs, to encourage them that they're doing great? We make sure to have plenty of time for lap lovin, and give them lots of attention when Bunny's in our room in her cage (as well as when she's downstairs with them), but I wonder if giving them treats would help them be more confident in their new "place" in the home (which, incidentally, hasn't changed a whole heck of a lot, but there is a new friend, and they seem a bit lacking in the confidence they once had).

Anyway, sorry for the long message. Hopefully I'll get responses soon. Love you guys!!
 

rockcat

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Congratulations on your new baby!
I don't have any advice, but we did some work for a lady whose bunny was litterbox trained and very well behaved. He even came when called.
The only thing that was an issue, is the bunny chewed on everything. Beware of electrical cords, especially. This lady kept her bunny out except when she wasn't home because of the chewing.
 
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maherwoman

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Originally Posted by Rockcat

Congratulations on your new baby!
I don't have any advice, but we did some work for a lady whose bunny was litterbox trained and very well behaved. He even came when called.
The only thing that was an issue, is the bunny chewed on everything. Beware of electrical cords, especially. This lady kept her bunny out except when she wasn't home because of the chewing.
Thank you for letting me know. I have noticed that she uses nibbles to check things out and see what they're like. It's really cute, but we keep a good eye on her in regards to it.

Yeah...she's already mostly litter trained, and does come when called. Funny thing is I decided to name her Bunny temporarily until we knew her gender, and she comes when I call her with it now, so I think it'll stay. She's so smart, too! She's such a joy!

Thanks for the congrats!! We're so excited for the time when they all three can hang out without any worries...
 

goldenkitty45

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I don't think I'd let Bunny play unsupervised with the cats....lol

Anyway the one and only time experience with rabbits/cats is when we got a rex bunny (have rex cats, so naturally wanted to keep the same "breed") and the rabbit was in my son's room in a cage.

We took our most friendly rex to start the intros. The rabbit was a female and she was fine with people but quite aggressive with other animals - we didn't know that. The cat came in the room and the rabbit was running around. Cat came close - rabbit charged him and ran him out of the room! He went downstairs to the rest of the cats and must have told them about the attack bunny cause NONE of the cats would come in the room when the rabbit was running loose!
 

rockcat

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I don't think I'd let Bunny play unsupervised with the cats....lol

Anyway the one and only time experience with rabbits/cats is when we got a rex bunny (have rex cats, so naturally wanted to keep the same "breed") and the rabbit was in my son's room in a cage.

We took our most friendly rex to start the intros. The rabbit was a female and she was fine with people but quite aggressive with other animals - we didn't know that. The cat came in the room and the rabbit was running around. Cat came close - rabbit charged him and ran him out of the room! He went downstairs to the rest of the cats and must have told them about the attack bunny cause NONE of the cats would come in the room when the rabbit was running loose!
I would love to see that.
 
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maherwoman

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I don't think I'd let Bunny play unsupervised with the cats....lol

Anyway the one and only time experience with rabbits/cats is when we got a rex bunny (have rex cats, so naturally wanted to keep the same "breed") and the rabbit was in my son's room in a cage.

We took our most friendly rex to start the intros. The rabbit was a female and she was fine with people but quite aggressive with other animals - we didn't know that. The cat came in the room and the rabbit was running around. Cat came close - rabbit charged him and ran him out of the room! He went downstairs to the rest of the cats and must have told them about the attack bunny cause NONE of the cats would come in the room when the rabbit was running loose!
Funny! That's something that the website I mentioned said...it's one of the personalities they list. Lol...poor kitties must have been beside themselves as to what to do!


As far as running around unsupervised, I would only do it when I had complete confidence that they viewed each other as pure equals. I would also make sure that the cats had Soft Paws, and Bunny's claws were trimmed. Of course, I don't expect such a situation to occur for quite a long time yet (about a year or so, depending on Bunny's size and personality, and of course the cats' view of her), but if it does, we'll be fully prepared.


According to the website I've found (as well as other articles), cats and rabbits actually do get along great, and more often than not, cats don't actually view the rabbit as a food source or prey. I think the only reason the cats have gotten excited is in Bunny's quick movements, I think they interpreted it as her trying to get them to play with her (which could very much be the case, but I wasn't quite ready for that yet...lol). Bunnies are very playful, and love to instigate games with those around them.
 
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maherwoman

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Originally Posted by Rockcat

Maherwoman, what does your bunny look like?
She's about six inches long, and gray with a little poofy white tail. She's so far got brown eyes, though she's still young enough that the color could change. Her ears are slightly loppy (mom's a regular-eared bunny, and dad's a lop-eared, so she got in-between ears), in the way that they don't sit stiff on her head, they kinda flop around with everything she does, and at times fall sideways on her head (does that make sense?). It's funny because her ears have the stiffness of a cat's, but fall sideways and all around while she's moving. Of course, I don't know if this is a typical bunny thing, but I didn't picture that they would have so much movement. It's adorable. They rarely sit flat against her back, even while she's sleeping.

Very, very cute...I'll post a picture as soon as we get some taken, but until then, I hope that does her a bit of justice!
 

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I had 2 bunnies that used to play "tag" with JC and Joey & they all got along great! But the rabbits chewed a lamp cord, so after that they needed to be out only under VERY close supervision. Alas, I talked of making the bunnies an outdoor pen, and my husband did that for me, without considering to make an underground containment barrier & the bunnies promptly tunnelled out & since it was mating season for the local cottontails, my vet said that the likelihood of recovery was slim. One bunny would show up once a week or so for a few months, then finally disappeared all together.
 
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maherwoman

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Originally Posted by catsknowme

I had 2 bunnies that used to play "tag" with JC and Joey & they all got along great! But the rabbits chewed a lamp cord, so after that they needed to be out only under VERY close supervision. Alas, I talked of making the bunnies an outdoor pen, and my husband did that for me, without considering to make an underground containment barrier & the bunnies promptly tunnelled out & since it was mating season for the local cottontails, my vet said that the likelihood of recovery was slim. One bunny would show up once a week or so for a few months, then finally disappeared all together.
Awww! How sad...I'm sorry to hear that your bunny friends tunnelled away...
Maybe you'll see someone from their offspring come around someday.
 

halfpint

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I don't think I'd let Bunny play unsupervised with the cats....lol

Anyway the one and only time experience with rabbits/cats is when we got a rex bunny (have rex cats, so naturally wanted to keep the same "breed") and the rabbit was in my son's room in a cage.

We took our most friendly rex to start the intros. The rabbit was a female and she was fine with people but quite aggressive with other animals - we didn't know that. The cat came in the room and the rabbit was running around. Cat came close - rabbit charged him and ran him out of the room! He went downstairs to the rest of the cats and must have told them about the attack bunny cause NONE of the cats would come in the room when the rabbit was running loose!
AH Hah!!!! A Funny Bunny, I would like to see that to bunny's look so sweet
 

rockcat

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Originally Posted by maherwoman

She's about six inches long, and gray with a little poofy white tail. She's so far got brown eyes, though she's still young enough that the color could change. Her ears are slightly loppy (mom's a regular-eared bunny, and dad's a lop-eared, so she got in-between ears), in the way that they don't sit stiff on her head, they kinda flop around with everything she does, and at times fall sideways on her head (does that make sense?). It's funny because her ears have the stiffness of a cat's, but fall sideways and all around while she's moving. Of course, I don't know if this is a typical bunny thing, but I didn't picture that they would have so much movement. It's adorable. They rarely sit flat against her back, even while she's sleeping.

Very, very cute...I'll post a picture as soon as we get some taken, but until then, I hope that does her a bit of justice!
Awww. ..she sounds adorable. Don't forget the pictures and be sure to post a cuteness warning!
 
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