Getting a kitten soon, wondering about the bun....

[LadyBug]

Hey all. Our much beloved barncat sized Pickles pasted away recently, and we're going to be getting another kitten soon. We haven't added any furbabies to the house since Jamie(2+ y/o neutered male holland lop, always very friendly with the cats. the cats, not so much back....), and I'm a little worried. I'm hoping y'all can help with a few questions-

Do I need to wait for vet clearance on the kitten before I introduce them?

How should I go about introducing them?



Anything else I should be worrying/thinking about?





This kitten could come home as soon as Sunday[the 10th], we found him and it's been going really fast since then, and I'd appreciate any help I can get!

Thanks again guys!:highfive:inkbouce:

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I don't think you need a vet check to introduce them. I would look over the kitten for signs of illness. Although a vet check is a good idea for a new pet, you don't need the vets clearance to introduce them. I don't think there are many diseases that can pass from a cat to a rabbit unless there is a scratch or bite.

I would give the kitten a few days to settle in before you allow any face to face contact. I really don't know much about cats, so I can't help with introduction advice.

 

[jcottonl02]

I think you should introduce the kitten straight away, so the kitten knows its your rabbits territory.
I think as long as the kitten knows your rabbit was there first, and your rabbit feels secure, and your kitten can give a respect to the bun, it should be fine; remember the kitten is a predator, and the bunny is a prey animal.
Watch them carefully for a few weeks, and only let them together while supervised. Snap any bad behaviour in the bud- kitten chasing or batting the rabbit- growling or lunging from ur bun etc.

I had the bunnies before our cats and dogs, so we introduced the cats and dogs sort of into the bunny's pad, and they've learnt to respect the buns and leave them be, unless the bun wants a cuddle from them (especially Benji snuggles to our oldest dog).

Good luck with it

Jen

 

[Rabbit Hero]

I agree with Jen. Let the kitten settle in for a little bit, a couple of hours or so. Kittens tend to adapt to change pretty quickly so I wouldn't be to worried. Let the kitten know where the rabbit's territory is, and let them approach each other. When my cat was a kitten, and was taken from her sisters she seemed to welcome other animal company. Once they get older it's much more difficult. I think since it's a kitten your getting if they don't become friends right away, it wont take long before they do.

good luck!

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Nice to see you posting, Anna It's been awhile!

I would caution you about those razor-sharp little kitty claws. Kittens like to bat at stuff, and they don't seem to have very good control over whether or not to retract the claws when they are young.
Lots of nail clipping, and maybe even some silicon soft paws (if you can get them) would be very good. Bunny eyeballs & skin +cat claws = yikes!

I am excited to see pics of your new kitten soon... *hint, hint*
:hug:

 

[slavetoabunny]

Nice to see you posting again Anna! Since Jamie was so good with Pickles, he should be fine with the kitten. I wouldn't be afaid of introducing the straight away.

How is your mom doing?

 

[jcottonl02]

That's a good point about the claws. Until the kitties understand they can't bat the bun then definate clipping frequently.

Lol our kitties used to hide on tops of chairs and couches etc. and wait for our biggest dog (so they could reach him, and he's not so quick minded loL!) to wander past, BAT him on the head and then retreat before he had time to look up lol! It was so funny to watch his confusion afterwards, and then decide nothing could have happened, and wander on, only to be batted by the second kitten!!!!