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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR new cage and bonding with cat

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    • KittenMuffinPie
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        My boyfriend has ordered the (48′) 2 level leithpetwerks cage and it’s being shipped to his house now. We decided just to get a 2 level for now and buy the add on level before I move in since we want to go ahead and begin bonding my bun with his cat.. plus I’m not moving in with him for at least another 3 months, so I’ll have plenty of time to buy the add on. When he gets the cage he’s going to go ahead and set it up for me and then the next time I come up to visit him (2 weeks from now) I’m going to bring Jude (my rabbit) with me and we’re going to start the bonding process for the two of them. First we’re going to put them both in their carriers and put the carriers next to each other. This way they can smell each other and will be next to each other but can’t really do anything. Then if that goes well we might introduce them in a room that Leia (cat) isn’t allowed in usually so she can’t get defensive of her area. I’m not sure what to do after that though. I know we’re going to trim both cat and rabbit’s nails before the meeting in person but I’m not sure how I feel about his cat. She has never been outside and the only things she’s ever killed are little bugs. She is kind of aggressive in the way she plays so I’m kind of worried about that. She hisses at cat’s if they’re in the yard but I think she’d be a coward if they were actually there next to her. The only time she’s ever been outside is one time when she ran out while my boyfriend was heading to work..and she walked out and just kind of froze there and didn’t know what to do. Also she had never seen a little kid before and when his little cousin stayed with him for Christmas Leia pretty much secluded herself in the back room and when she did come out to eat or poo she would sneak around and stare at him XD..also Leia uses clay litter but her litter box is kept in the kitchen/dining room and we’re planning to block off the kitchen so Leia can get in but Jude can’t to keep him from the clay litter. 


      • Megabunny
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          Sounds good. I’d be surprised if you had any major problems with them, but I haven’t had experience with cats and bunnies. My dog is very aggressive to other dogs when we’re out on walks, and doesn’t like crows, geese… but he eventually learned that rabbits are part of the family and I totally trust him now. Hopefully the cat will realize you’re all in this together. There are just so many people on here with cats and I’ve never heard of a rabbit being hunted by them. But, of course, I again admit to not having this cat experience. Not really a cat person


        • Mimzy
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            This is similar to what I’m doing right now! I had 2 bunnies & was introducing my new cat to them. I wasn’t too worried though as the cat I have was pretty sweet with everyone.

            What I did was locked the bunnies in their condo so they’d be safe & brought the cat in the room (the cat had never been in this room before so she was unfamiliar) The cat didn’t really move from where I placed her down for a while, she just watched the bunnies no idea what to think of them. You’ll have to take steps based on their reaction. If they both seem aggressive, I would continue to keep them both caged during meetings until they get used to each other. Then slowly let one out, maybe keeping the other caged so they can smell.
            I was reading up on tips on this as well, they said typically the cat will be cautious & the bunny will chase the cat until the bunny feels like it made it’s point.
            They also said that if it’s the other way around & it’s the cat who is dominant, it may take longer for them to get along. I believe it’s ok to keep a spray bottle on hand, more intended for the cat though, I wouldn’t worry too much if it’s your bunny who’s doing the chasing.

            My bunnies can now run around the floor freely & the cat will observe, she’s scared of the bunnies lol, so she often runs on the bed where they can’t get her. Anyway, I hope you figure it out! Also search for things like “Introducing bunny and cat” for more tips?


          • KittenMuffinPie
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              The cage should be here before this weekend and we had intended on letting them meet this weekend but we still have to get things like a litter box and hay rack and things for his cage so we’re holding off until we can get more things for bun’s cage. When we do introduce them though we’re going to try having them both in their own carriers next to each other so they can smell and see each other but can’t do anything. Then we’re going to try with bun in his cage and cat roaming to see how they reach to each other, then if that goes well we will try face to face, uncaged meeting. Will keep posted.


            • KittenMuffinPie
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                The cage got here a week ago and was very simple to put together. It’s HUGE. The 2 level will be plenty of room for Jude seeing that he will be out of it whenever anyone is home. We are going to introduce them this Saturday and make it a stay home movie day so that we can keep an eye on the 2. Ever since I’ve had my bun we’ve switched the toys that they play with regularly so that they can get use to each others smells. I’m less worried about Jude and more worried about Leia (Jude is bun, Leia is cat) Leia is very playful but in the rough way and Jude is very playful but in a sweet, innocent way. He does like to play chase and I feel like he’ll freak Leia out XD . I don’t think Jude will be scared of her or run away, I think he’ll be more curious about her and want to sniff her and chase her. She’ll most likely be the one that runs and is a little weirded out XD. Will update soon after Saturday.


              • Megabunny
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                  Sounds great!


                • Jroyalimages
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                    When I got my bunny, chuey, I was really scared to introduce him and my dog. but I knew I wanted chuey to be able to have a lot of time outside of the cage. I have a miniature dachshund, which I naturally a rabbit hunting dog. And he is a very rough player. So instead of trying to teach him to play nice with chuey, I trained him to completely ignore the bunny. That way no one gets hurt. And with dogs and cats, playing can and most times will bring out natural instincts. And bunnies play different than cats and dogs so I didn’t want anyone to get offended lol


                  • KittenMuffinPie
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                      I’ve read in some places of the internet that rabbits are more like cat’s than they are like dogs. I’m not really worried about Leia trying to kill or eat Jude..I’m simply worried that she will want to play with him the way that she plays with me and my boyfriend and sometimes that hurts us so I know it will hurt him. I kind of am actually hoping that she will be afraid of him and he will be the dominant one just so I won’t have to worry..


                    • KittenMuffinPie
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                        Jude and Leia’s first meeting this past Saturday went wonderful. About half of the day we just let Jude explore his new cage and Leia was in the room but she was more interested in me and my boyfriend than the noises that Jude were making in his cage. When she did see him and hear him, her eyes got real big and she stared at us like “hey..there’s a thing here that doesn’t belong. What do I do?” and we just continued to pet her. Jude eventually came up to the edge of the cage and they both sniffed each other and Leia didn’t click or hiss or swat at him or anything. After they were interacting with each other through the cage for a while we decided to go ahead and let Jude out but left the cage door open so if he’s scared he can go back in and come out whenever he wants. They played chase and took turns being who chases who..so I don’t think they’ve even decided who’s the dominant one yet. Leia would swat at him and kind of stalk him in a playful way but never once used her claws (even though we trimmed them). At one point she chased him into a corner and my boyfriend kind of freaked out but I knew Jude could stand up for himself. He chased her back and she got out of his way. At one point, Leia pounced on him which we both kind of freaked about but she just started licking and grooming him so all was good. Sunday (yesterday) Jude slept most of the day because he’s use to napping all day but I guess was a little uneasy about the new cage, new surroundings, and meeting the cat…but this morning he was back to normal, doing binkies around my room for his morning pellets(:

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                    Forum BEHAVIOR new cage and bonding with cat