Bonding bunnies to cats

[Cinnabunn the bunny]

I am trying to bond my new cat with my bunnies and while neither party attacks eachother with aggression every once in a while my cat will playfully pounce at my bunnies. my cat never lands a hit because my bunnies run away but i am scared that this will lead to further injury. I A~DCD[p <- my bunny lily trying to type. So far I have only had the cat since friday so I have only tried to bond them for the past 3 day since the cat took well to being in a new home. Does anyone know what I could do to stop my cat from playing with my bunnies?

[Boing]

“Cats play one game. It’s called hunting.” I know the kind of pounce to which you refer. For everyone’s sake please believe me that this isn’t a game – not to the cat and definitely not to the rabbits. That kind of pounce is designed to have the cat straddle its prey and then bite their neck. Toms also attack each other this way, given the chance.

Cats and rabbits can learn to get along and to live amicably. My cat actually considers my first (and larger) rabbit to be hers. I would still never leave them unsupervised, though he outweighs her, is way stronger and she’s a senior.

I’ve had my second rabbit a year tomorrow. She is half the size of the first one and two thirds the size of the cat. She has been targeted, I’d say, six-ish times by my cat in this manner. It’s like they know they shouldn’t, but the rapid movement is too much and instinct kicks in. I can actually see the difference in her eyes when she does it. All I have to do is say her name sharply and snap my fingers and she stops. Still, this shows it can be bunny specific. Holly (cat) reveres Cincinnati (first and larger rabbit) – I have the adorable pics to prove it. I’d never say that about Holly and Daisy (second and smaller rabbit). Daisy is way more rapid, active, small and lithe. She’s like a little firecracker. It can set Holly off. Whereas Cincinnati is more of a meandering, observing rabbit. I’m convinced that if she moved like him she’d never be targeted despite her size.

Since you don’t yet know this cat I would get to know the cat first and worry about bunny introductions later. That way you’ll be better prepared for what may happen. Your cat may never get used to the rabbits. The rabbits may never relax in the cat’s presence which can, in and of itself, trigger the cat. I’m a lifelong cat person, but the only cat I’ve ever known that I’d ever have attempted this with is Holly. She has an unusually low prey drive. Most cats don’t, especially when young.

Good luck whatever you decide, but I think it’s always best to set animals up for success and sometimes that means taking things slowly or not at all.

[Luna]

How old is your cat? Is he/she declawed in the front? Once the cat and buns get to know each other, social play is ok but aggressive play is not. In the meantime, when you spot your buns attracting your cat’s interest, try distracting your cat by taking a toy and playing with him/her while leading him/her away from the buns. Your cat needs plenty of play, else behavioral problems may arise in the future. So while you might stop him/her from playing with the buns, make sure you fill in that play drive by playing with your cat yourself. Hopefully this will help in teaching your cat to associate playtime with you and not associate playtime with your buns.

[Cinnabunn the bunny]

I’ve tried distracting her with a toy buy sometimes she won’t pay attention and will get into a playful pouncing position while I’m playing with her. She’s around 1yo so I’m hoping her energy will decrease with time and she’ll get lazier. For now making a loud noise distracts her easily enough where she’ll stop chasing my buns and my buns don’t seem worse for wear. If anything my small dwarf still thinks he’s the boss man and will run after her

[Author]

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