Introducing rabbits to cats

[pippapippa]

I’m going to adopt a rabbit soon. I have indoor two cats already. They’re both very playful and inquisitive. Could anyone point me in the right direction as to how I should introduce the rabbit to my cats? Or give me any informative links? Thanks!

 

 

EDIT: Sorry if this is in the wrong spot! Still figuring things out on the forum.

[Roberta]

I had 5 cats already when I got my first buns. I found the best way was not to fuss over anybody just carry on as normal. The cats had monitored encounters with the buns. We had a few mishaps where Jebediah and Bilbo (cats) involuntarily found themselves in the Xpen by jumping on the flimsy cover I had used. They were so startled by the tiny long eared creatures within that they leapt out pretty quickly. Bilbo now considers them long eared kittens and there fore his responsibiiity. They can jump on him, chew his tail and generally treat him like a bunny toy and he is fine with that. Finn Gall found himself temporarily in with Pascal bunny today and he could not get out of the play area fast enough.

[Deleted User]

Time and patience are the two main keys but it definitely can work. There’s a great article on how to on rabbit.org.

Let us know how it goes and best of luck!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I had 5 cats when I got my first rabbit. I had zero problems introducing them. I introduced them to bunny one at a time. Some tips for you are:

1) Make sure to trim your cat’s nails nice and short, just in case, as cat scratches on a bunny can become infected.

2) Introduce kitties one a time to not overwhelm bunny.

3) Supervise any visitations with cats/bunny until you are 100% sure they are comfortable and safe together.

Some bunnies and cats become great friends. Most just ignore each other and co-habit peacefully. That is the case with my cats and rabbits. I currently have 2 cats and 2 rabbits.

[pippapippa]

Thanks guys! I got my new rabbit today. I’ll post some photos and let everyone know how it’s going in a few days

[stone_legume]

We have 3 cats, and I was very worried about life with bunny around them… Especially because they have caught and killed field rabbits before. My worries were for nothing though! The 2 female cats are ‘scared’ of bun, but my male cat loves him -they give kisses and sleep right next to each other! This was of course after a few (less than I expected, actually) supervised visits/ introductions. The best thing is to pet your bun, and immediately let your cat(s) smell your hand, re-assuring them all the while. I also put a small hand towel in bunny’s cage to get his scent on it, and let my cats sniff that. Plus, petting bun on your lap with one hand, and petting kitty with the other hand lets them know it’s a new family member. This is what worked fantastic in our household! I wouldn’t fret to much unless you have a really aggressive cat.

[pippapippa]

I actually put them together today (one cat at a time) because the cats were so interested in Truffle. They were perfectly fine, no issues at all. Truffle is not even remotely scared of the cats, but my cats are a little bit cautious of her. I’m just going to keep an eye on them together for a long while and allow them to have some time together every day. But I don’t think I’m going to have any issues!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Congrats on your new bun! Would love to see some pics! The cats too!

[Dreamchi1d]

I currently have 4 kitties and just adopted my 1st bunny a week ago. so far i have introduced my two youngest kitties to madilyn and it has gone alright. she hops about and the cats sit on my lap and watch her. seems like it will be a long slow process i just hope all my time and patience pays off and they can co exist peacefully!

[pippapippa]

Just to update: My cats and Truffle have no issues! I introduced them one at a time and had no real issues. So after a few days, I let Truffle out. He loves to binky, so he starting running all over the apartment. Of course, my extremely playful cats chased him. They didn’t try to hurt him, but it still worried me a bit. This went on for another day or two (for only a few minutes and with me carefully watching, of course), and then Truffle chased back. Ever since then, they’ve been very sweet to one another. I caught one of my cats grooming Truffle the other night. I’m still keeping a close eye on them, but they’re getting along wonderfully. They love to chase one another. Truffle will run around my couch and hop out to surprise a cat, then one will chase him around. It’s pretty fun to watch. They also give one another little nose greetings/kisses. It’s adorable! I actually let him around the apartment for about six hours today and had no problems at all.

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