Bunny, kitty, and puppy ...together!

[monk12]

i'm sorry if anything like this has been posted before and i missed it. but i did search (ALOT!) and didn't find anything.

i am an animal person in general, hard to find one i don't really like. but i love dogs. i think its crazy to not own a dog. sadly, i do not own one. i do live somewhere that allows dogs, but i rent. don't wanna get a dog, then have to move for whatever reason and end up not being able to keep the dog. but, i do have cats. and this gets into the meat of my question. my two cats are 4 and 2. this means 10+ years left with these kitties. My husband is a cat person strictly. other animals are cute, but he doesn't want to own them. this has been the cause for many a fight between the two of us(maybe not a fight, more of me making a sad face and moping.) After 5 years i have finally got my husband to at least make a deal with me. if i leave him alone about getting another animal (specifically a dog) before the cats die, then when the cats DO die, he will let me get a puppy, a kitten, and a bunny. at the same time. to raise together.

does anyone know how well this will work out? is there somewhere i can get information on this? am i setting myself up for extreme disappointment? was my post confusing/meandering?

and no, i am in no way hoping or wanting my current cats to die. at all! never having this deal go through would be worth it if my cats could live forever! also, i've never owned a rabbit before, but i figure 10+ years is alot of time to learn what i need to be ready for.

oh, and i'm sorry if i don't use proper english typing skills. i be a lazy one with that. oh, and grammer. spelling too...

 

[okiron]

I've had rats, rabbits, cats and a dog (roommate's dog) all be with one another quite nicely.

 

[Maureen Las]

I have a cat and 2 dogs and a bird and 8 rabbits.

I am lucky to have a cat that shows nothing but a friendly interest in the rabbits.
I have one dog that totally shows no interest in the rabbits and 1 dog that shows a friendly interest.
I had to rehome a dog that I had transported from Michigan rescue several years ago because I had not been informed that she had a high prey drive. She would have killed every other animal in the house if given the chance

I started towatch the website of a dog rescue who had dogs in foster homes. They would bring the dogs to Petco on a weekend. I became friends with one of the women who eventually gave me Joey (one of my rabbits).
When I went to Petco one weekend they had young cattledog who interested me a lot. Because they knew me they allowed me to take her home that afternoon to see how she was with the rest of the pets . She was fine with them and I adopted her. ..but the fact thatI could test he out for an afternoon was really great.

The cattle dog is Angie and thus I became Angieluv
when i was looking for dogs i was told that i might do well with a herding breed like a collie, border collie, cattledog etc because they often have the job of caring for (herding)other animals (sheep, cattle goats etc)
but I do think that it really depends on the dog and not necessarily the breed.

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

I have one dog cat rabbit

Storm and phoenix get on great if you want your rabbit to be able to roam free without a lot of worry get a med to low energy dog. No prey drive or little to none.

That phoenix in a nut shell they are great together.

My cat came down stairs for the first time today and she looked at storm and turned around and walked away. So i am hoping that works out I can controle the cat rabbit thing a little though if I have to.

 

[monk12]

i'm going to be getting them all from babies, if thats more clear. and the dog will probably be a golden retriever.

do you think they will all bond? or at least the cat and rabbit?

 

[LuvMyRabbits]

I have 2 rabbits and a cat...My cat was 2yrs old when I got the rabbits and they have never had an issue...at first the cat completely ignored them, then he would sniff at their cages when they were in there for the night..now he lays with them and doesnt even use his own water dish he drinks from the community bowl I have out in my room for the rabbits, he also lays in their cardboard boxes full of shredded paper more than they do...he even gets inside their cages and sniffs around lol..come to think of it he hasnt meowed in a few weeks..maybe he now thinks he is a rabbit??

 

[okiron]

They might bond, they might hate each other or simply ignore each other. Depends on the individual animal.

 

[DazyDaizee]

Okay.. first, I would NOT recommend getting a puppy, kitten, and bunny all at the same time. WAY too much work, you will be totally overwhelmed. So much training and bonding with each animal.
I've had rabbits and cats together. A total of 5 cats have met my rabbits. Never an incident. I wouldn't worry so much, as most cats, in my experience, are fine with rabbits. A kitten, on the other hand, is more likely to injure a rabbit than an adult cat because they're more playful and like to use their teeth and claws. Same goes for a puppy. I've had two dogs with my rabbits. One is a terrier. She doesn't HURT the rabbits, but is overly interested. The other ignores them for the most part, but she would snap at them if they invade her space. Dogs are very particular and you're more likely to get a dog who bonds successfully with a cat and/or rabbit if you get a laid back adult dog, preferably one who's been exposed to small animals in the past. The rabbit is going to be your least concern because a rabbit raised with other animals will most likely adjust easily.. most rabbits aren't particularly terrified of other animals so long as they don't have a bad experience. So calmer adult bun or baby bun would probably be fine.

I wouldn't assume you're ever going to have a situation where you can let all the animals roam free around the house without a problem (though it's been done).. but they can all coexist.. as long as you make necessary accommodations.

Also, as far as breed goes, some goldens are crazy, some are extremely laid back. If you go for a puppy, research the breeder well. These dogs are way overbred and prone to all kinds of health issues. I would honestly start looking at least a year and a half in advance. You'll have a LOT of weeding out to do. I've worked at 3 animal hospitals over the past 7 years, and now at a grooming shop. I've seen TONS of goldens. I have seen VERY few that don't suffer from health issues that could have been bred out, and I've seen many with nutty personalities and behavioral problems. I have seen very few healthy, good tempered goldens.. though that's what they're meant to be.

And rabbit breeds.. If I were you I'd look into giant breeds.. mainly because they're more durable, but they also tend to be more laid back and many describe them as "dog like". Speaking generally, they'd make a better match than some of the dwarf breeds. You should check out Flemish Giants. If I was every in the market for a purebred bun, I'd probably go with this breed.. those who own them can attest to their personality.

 

[monk12]

awesome, so many replies!

as far as looking into the dog ahead of time, as i said, i have 10+ years to find a good breeder. though i will admit right now that if i were to pick another breed of dog, it would be a border collie, or a mutt of some kind. but my husbands not scared of goldens, and they seem to be the most laid back.

for the rabbit, i do want a giant breed. and for the most part, yes, the animals will be all free roaming. but the rabbit will have his own space to go to when i'm not in the room. this is also the animal i have no experience with. i have tons of experience with cats and dogs, but none with rabbits. if i did, i probably wouldn't have bothered asking. would you recommend getting a rabbit now before raising doing the dog/cat/rabbit combo? i WAS thinking about rescuing an older rabbit if my husband agrees.

also, i am not in the least worried about bonding/training time restraints. i have a very open schedule.