Introducing Bunny and Cat

[MousQwene]

So I recently acquired a cat that my friend had rescued from being dumped on the street. I agreed to take her, though we are trying to find a forever home for her. We've had her locked in the bathroom for the past day, but then put mama and the babies in the bedroom and let the cat out into the living room (we only have the three rooms). Benny is still out there in a large NIC cage with plenty of space to escape from kitty paws if he wants. Any other tips on how to get a rabbit and a cat to live together with minimal injury to either party? Though this cat will be temporary, we would like to get a cat in the future. It's like a practice run!

 

[Minilop]

We have two cats at the moment, which are completely different in every way possible! One of them would be likely to fall asleep on the rabbit cage, and has never caught a thing in his life, while the other one brings in a rat or two every night. Although, either way, I would never trust a cat in with a rabbit no matter how docile the cat usually is. A rabbit is natural prey to a cat, and they won’t make exceptions even if it is ‘your pet.’ Never give the cat a chance to be alone with a free range bunny.

If your cat at the moment was off the streets, it is likely to be a natural hunter. It would be used to having to catch majority of its usual food, and that will always be the case. I think that unless you are going to keep the cat, it may just be better to keep them separate.

When you get a kitten, it will be a lot easier to introduce them. Although the kitten will naturally think of the bunny as prey, there is a lot of time for them to become accustom to each other – and for the kitten to learn. Depending on your rabbit, I know that my cats are more scared of the bunny [When I am around] then he is of them. When they pass his cage, he will run up to them and follow them around the sides. You can imagine how much this freaks them out! :biggrin2:

If you have a confident Bun, I don’t think introducing a cat should be a problem. If he/she is flighty, maybe let them see each other in small intervals, with you holding one, one in a cage etc, until they are used to each others presence.
But, likeI said before, never have them free ranging together. If they are in the same area, it should be fine as long as the bunny has a place in the cage the cat can not reach, and the cage is predator safe.

If you feel as though you think they will be fine together, after all the little 'visits' and meetings, you know your cat the best. Just make sure you keep a very close eye, and remember a cats playful bite or scratch can be deadly.

Sorry for rambling on. Hope this helped. Good luck!

 

[maherwoman]

First off, I'd like to recommend the Rabbits and Cats thread in the Lagomorph Library that focuses on this subject. I think it may even contain my first post in '06 about it.

I first brought home my two kitties in 2004, as young babies. We didn't get our first bun, Maisie, until Feb of 2006, so our kitties had plenty of time to get used to their environment before the introduction of the buns (at that time, just Maisie).

My recommendation: Before introducing the kitty to Benny, make sure she's familiar with her environment, and feels comfortable around you. Since you mention that you're trying to find her another home, you may want to skip introducing her to Benny at all. It takes time, and a lot of supervision, and if you're able to just keep them separate, that would be best, if you're rehoming the kitty.

If you decide to keep her, however, you'll want to start out making sure your kitty is comfortable with you and her new home first. This might take months, but it's essential. Also, you'll want to make sure that Kitty responds to you saying "no" and such things, so you can handle any problems that may arise.

Another thing, you'll want to trim Kitty's claws, as she might bat at Benny in curiosity and mistaking various bunny actions as an invitation to a game. Benny will go right up to her, and she'll mistake that for an invitation, or get offended...and will result in a bat to the head. She probably won't use her claws to do it, but you don't want to take the chance. Here is an excellent article on how to trim a kitty's claws.

So, once you've got those two things handled, you'll want to create an environment that both Kitty and Benny feel safe in. You'll want to create some sort of run/fenced-in play area for Benny while he's out, and have somewhere for him to run back into if he gets batted. Don't scold Kitty for batting...she's just curious and not sure what to make of Benny...it's totally natural. She won't understand getting in trouble for something like that. We've had buns around our kitties for the past three years, and they still bat when one of the buns hops right up to them. It's really offensive to the Kitty Code of Conduct (that says that you avoid newcomers at first, and introduce yourself gradually, and the first one living there gets first dibs on sniffing, etc.).

At first, you'll want to just set up the run, let Benny hang out in it, with toys and whatever else he enjoys having out with him. Let Kitty come to Benny in her own time. Don't put her in the play area with Benny...let her do that on her own. Might take hours, but it might just take minutes. Eventually, curiosity will overwhelm, and when Benny's got his back to her, she'll take a tentative sniff through the play area's bars.

Just let it take as long as it needs to...introductions will be in both animal's own time. Our kitties have never really adjusted to having the buns. The kitties basically just avoid the area while the buns are out, and (most importantly) I never leave the buns and kitties unsupervised.

Hope all that helps!

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Rosie, that's great advice. I was looking for advice on introducing cats and rabbits a month or so ago. We were planning on moving to a bigger place and getting a cat, but last night we decided to stay where we are. They don't allow cats here (the previous tenants had at least one though and our landlords have never been by in the 2 years we've lived here!), but we could probably get away with it anyway. We have two cockatiels though and want to have a separate bedroom for them to live in so they'll be safe from the cat. We do plan on getting a kitty when we eventually move though.

I've gone back and forth on whether it's better to get an adult or a kitten. I think the good thing about an adult is their personality is already developed, so you can find a gentle kitty. But of course kittens would be able to grow up with the bunnies. I can't decide!

 

[maherwoman]

That's a tough decision! My personal preference is for a kitten, so you can start training young. We've known our two goofballs all their lives (literally...we watched them being born), so we got to start training REALLY early. It's much easier for various things, like staying off tables and counters, training them to respond to when you snap (like ours do), etc.

Of course, you have to wait to introduce a kitten to the bun(s) until it's old enough to really listen and not get carried away with themselves and forget that you're there and in-charge. Wouldn't it be horrible for the kitten to start trying to wrestle with the bun? I could see a kitten getting REALLY injured that way! Not even worrying about the bun! More for the kitten, from those powerful back legs buns have!

It's a real toss-up, the debate between adult or kitten!

I love kitties, though. They're so much fun, and we got really spoiled with our two. They're really unique.

Thanks for the compliment on the advice!