Can a rabbit befriend a cat?

[Prizm]

Recently, one of our two cats died of cancer.Since then,the otherhas been sulking, and laysaround with his eyes opened looking lonely and bord We (my motherand I) feel he needs an animal friend to play with and keep himcompany. Rather than get another cat (which my mother is/has beenallergic to) I thought a rabbit could make a perfect companion! Theanimal shelter has a "miniature holland" up for adoption, and I plan tolook at him tomorrow "Lianid" our cat, is not malicious, but he isextremely playful and this worries me because if the rabbit runs fromhim, he will probably pounce.

A local rabbit society's website claims cats and rabbits can bewonderful friends once they know eachother, but I wonderifthe size of a rabbit makes a difference in therelationshipbetween these two species? The rabbit I'minterested in at the shelter is a miniature holland. Do larger rabbitsfeel less timid towards cats? Or is this all in the personality?

Any advice would be extremely appreciated!

 

[Loppy Earred Mom]

There are lots of people that have cats andrabbits but as you know a cat can seriously hurt a rabbit it honestlydepends on the personality of the cat.

 

[m.e.]

First off, I'm so sorry you lost your cat. I know that's very hard.

I have two medium sized (6-ish pounds) rabbits that I introduced to myfoster cat and kittens, quite successfully. Cats and rabbits can becomevery close companions if done right. I would definately think about alarger rabbit, or at least one that would not be dwarfed by the cat(Scully is about 7 pounds). Cat's are very unlikely to act aggressivelytowards something that's nearly as large as they are, while a smallrabbit may look like a furry toy.

A bold rabbit would be better than a timid one, though it is surprisingthat many rabbits are completely unafraid of cats; Rex andPeanut have no qualms about walking right up to Scully and sniffingher. Scully's usually too surprised to react, but seeing that therabbit is unafraid generally puts all malicious thoughts out of theirkitty brains.

One really important thing is to remember that they each need their ownspace. The rabbit will get stressed if the cat is always in their cage,so be sure to give them both places of their own to "get away". Scullyand the bunnies haven't played together, though many kitties andrabbits will. They've come pretty close to snuggling a few times.

I think your best bet is really understanding the personality of yourcat and the personality of your rabbit. Maybe if you could do a trialperiod with the new bun, to see how things work out?

 

[rabbitgirl]

My big boy likes to chase the kitties, who run away and give him disgusted looks from atop a high place.

All our rabbits chased the cats from babyhood on, and no matter what size, the cats always ran away.

but we have really wimpy kitties!

Rose

 

[Stephanie]

I am sorry for your loss. It's so hard...

I have two cats and three rabbits, and all five get along fine. Iwouldn't go as far to say as the cats and rabbits are friends, as inthey don't curl up and sleep together, but they all share the commonspace and are fine.

My cats are curious and sometimes try to play with the rabbits, butobviously a cat's game and a rabbit's game are very different. Usuallyit ends up with my doe Abby chasing the cats out of the living room,which provides no end of amusement for me and my husband. She's ourlittle diva bunny. I really need to take a picture of her face when shedoes this.

So yes, cats and rabbits can get along fine. Much better than most would believe.

 

[Prizm]

Thank you so much! This is great news! Lianidis on the smaller side as cats go. Here is a picture of him sittingnext to our elder cat, who was much larger!
He'sstill a kitten in this picture, but I think hispersonality shines through the photo! He is curious and wants to play!His diseased "fatherly figure" Fuzzball is the larger tiger on theright Thanks for all your kind words too. Loosing Fuzzer wasextremely painful after having him for 13 years.

Thanks also for your input, I'll be on the lookout for a larger rabbit with a trial period!
About his cage. M.E. brought up that rabbits need a place to get away.This brings up another point I wanted to ask about! Since they can belitter trained, I reasoned that under the circumstances both animalsget along, that the rabbit could roam freely throughout the house. Whatdo you think about this?

 

[Stephanie]

The picture didn't show up unfortunately.

As far as letting the rabbit have free roam of the house, I would notdo this at first, by any means, until you have the rabbit a bit moretrained and know it's personality. Also, a rabbit and a cat shouldn'tshare a litter box at all, for many reasons. Health being first, andthat rabbits can't use the same litter as cats, for the most part. Mostof us here use Yesterdays News or Woody Pet for our rabbits boxes. Formy cats I use a good clumping litter, which as you may know is easierand traps smells better, but a rabbit cannot have clumping litter atall. They tend to eat their litter at times and if they ingest it, itcould very well be fatal.

A rabbit really needs its own cage for it's own "home", where it feelssafe. Starting off with a small space to run around is key. Also,rabbits chew a lot, so you'd need to bunny-proof your home. I think allof us here on this board have lost wires for either our phones,computers, steroes and the like to our rabbits. It's fairly easy to puttubing over wires, or conceal them behind furniture. Plus, rabbits liketo chew on other healthy thing, such as untreaded wicker, and plaincardboard. My living room/dining room floor is littered with cardboardand wicker, so my rabbits always have something available.

My own rabbits have free reign of the living room/dining room, which isreally just one huge room. We have a baby gate up so they dont go downthe hallway into the kitchen or our other rooms, as they are not bunnyproofed, it's not good for them to eat catfood, and as bunnies tend toleave droppings here and there, I like to contain that to one part ofthe house. A mini vac is a good investment when you have a rabbit, btw.

I think with a little bit of reasearch, you would be a wonderful bunnyparent! I started with one (a rescue) and now have three. Read throughsome of the treads here, and another good site iswww.rabbit.org Good luck and let usknow when/if you decide to get a bun!

 

[m.e.]

:shock: A fuzzy orange kitty! One of my fosterkittens was a fuzzy orange tabby, and my dream cat (someday) is anorange Maine Coon. I love fuzzy orange kitties!!!

Here's PJ:

Stephanie gave you some really great tips, btw!

 

[Prizm]

Thanks, Stephani! I will definately start him offin his cage and change Lianid's littler to yesterday's news. I gatheredfrom various websites that I should give the rabbit his ownlitter boxes in the corner of each room, but I'll change Lianid'slitter just in case! My house is very open, so confinement to one room(with the exception of the bedrooms) would be difficult. Onceelectrical cords and the stove is bunny-proofed, I think my house mightlook simillar to yours! The kitchen, dining and living room are open.So, with the exception of our bedrooms and the bathroom, a free bunnyhas the whole house! I hope he takes to litter training...I didn'tthink he'd leave gifts scattered here and there. Thank you for thetip! He has a nice big cage ready for him now. I've never owned arabbit before, but I'd like to see him hopping around the house like aminni-cat, and snuggling with Lianid eventually, but I surely won'trush things.

Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuute! M.E. Lianid's vet thinks he's a main coon, too!Rather than meow, he makes a strange barking sound He's lots of funand affectionate!

 

[Stephanie]

Oh, I just love Maine Coons. Them and Siamese cats. Big difference between the two, but I swear, the most affectionate breeds.

As far as litter training goes, it is easier if you keep the rabbit inthe cage most of the time, with very highly supervised outside cagetimes. If he/she pees on the floor, a water/vingear mixture is best.That's also whatI use to clean the bottom of the cage andlitter box.

Before you go out and buy a ton of litter boxes, see where he/she goesfirst, then put the box there. It's very rare that a rabbit will gowhere you place a box, you will find that in the end, they train usmostly. That goes for in the cage too. When I first got Chompers, I putthe box on one side of the cage and he didn't use it. So I moved it towhere he was going and it worked out. Don't be surprised if your rabbitspends a lot of time in his/her box, mine do. I actually have the fooddish next to the box, because they all like to sit in the box whilethey eat. They actually do most of their "business" while eating.

And yes, cover those wires. lol

I worry about the rabbit using the same box as the cat though. Rabbitsdo need to ingest their own droppings, for the sake of getting theirnutrients. I dont even want to think about it if the rabbit were to eatthe cats. Not sure if they would, but even so. I cannot see any good ofthe rabbit and cat sharing a box. However, it is good that you'd takethat extra procaution.

 

[blueyes65]

Stephanie you have some greatinformation that I will try. I also have a cat named Sam who I havejust allowed friendship meetings with my bunny Shadow, I am a littlenervous on letting them out together. Going to give this a little moretime, Sam is a outdoor cat and a big time preditor, I cant imagin theunimaginable. Also, I will try a tiny vac for those leftovers.

 

[Stephanie]

A water bottle (the kind you would use to mistplants), is a great training tool with rabbits. And cats too, for thatmatter. All we have to do is grab the bottle, give it a shake and ourrabbits drop whatever mischief they're up to and bolt. Abby usuallygives a thump for good measure.

Hey, I spent the summer in Georgetown and went to Brampton often.

 

[AnnaS]

My parents in law live in Brampton, so we go there every weekend.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I know people who allow their bunnies freedom allthe time, but I think there is just too many dangers in ahome. I would allow it only when I am there.

I also will add that my cat is declawed in the front and loves Bo, but swats at him at times...... so there is that issue also.

Mainecoons you say? (he's not a full mainecoon, but part!)

 

[Stephanie]

Georgetown is so small, there was nothing therein the way of stores. Not even a decent book store. Very pretty townthough, and it is close to Toronto. I'm originally from Vermont in theStates....

She's very pretty Bo. Reminds me of one of my brother's cat B.B. Short for Bianca.

 

[TimothysMom]

I just wanted to give my quick input.Wehad a rabbit named Thumper who had a stroke. We kept him with us for awhile because he seamed to not be in pain. He was paralyzed so we madehim a soft bed that he would lay on. He was a part indoor rabbit and apart outdoor rabbit. We had a little side yard that he would play in.My cat Tyson is my hunter. He is very sweet to bing me a mouse or birdeveryday. I don't remember how Tyson and Thumper met each other butTyson LOVED Thumper. After he got sick Tyson would go and snuggle himand give him baths. We would put the rabbit pellits in front ofThumpers mouth so he could eat. Tyson would eat the rabbit pellets withhim. Thumper passed away on Christmas day 1996. Since then we have justabout always had rabbits. I had one who lived in our back yard. Icouldn't standto have her in a cage she just wanted to run sobad. Anyway now we have a bonded pair of rabbits. We have hadTimothy for a couple of years and we got Little Star in August from thepound. Tyson wants to give them kisses but they don't quite understandwhat he wants. We have these guys as indoor bunnies. They stay in thebathroom but we let them out to play in the house. Tyson will sit bythe bathroom door and cry so that we will let him in with the bunnies.He loves them so much. Anyway with Tyson being a "killer" cat he sureloves his bunnies. Ask if you can take your can to the pound with youand see how he will react to the bunnie. Keep the bunny in a cage andhave your cat loose. They should have receving rooms. I hope it allworks out.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Stephanie wrote:

Georgetown is so small, there was nothing there in the wayof stores. Not even a decent book store. Very pretty town though, andit is close to Toronto. I'm originally from Vermont in the States....

She's very pretty Bo. Reminds me of one of my brother's cat B.B. Short for Bianca.

Thank you. Tank might be offended by the "she" tho. LOL! Actually, Tank's an "it" now.... :shock:

 

[Stephanie]

Ummmm...I meant he. Yes.

 

[Prizm]

Thank you, Timothy's Mom, for the wonderfulfeline/rabbit sucess story! Yesterday, at a humane society afloppy-eared rabbit said "take me home! Oo. Oo. Pick me!" He'scoming home tonight (my mom's picking him up now!) ...What I just can'tbelieve is, the vollunteer at the humane society said he was aMeat-Grade Rabbit!Eek!His coloringisn't very striking. He's gray with floppy ears....We're naming him"Dusty" (Dust Bunny--Dusty for short!) and I think we're gonna lovehim!

 

[TimothysMom]

Congrats on your new bunny I hope it works out well for you all!!