Rabbit and cats...odd behavior?

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 7sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 10 months ago by LittlePuffyTail.

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- 05/29/2014 at 9:22 AM
  MMK
  Participant
  46 posts
  I just thought I would be some opinions on this behavior between my cat and rabbits. I have not had my rabbit very long, but he is two years old. I had him neutered about a month ago and he has been great.
  
  This is his odd behavior….he will run up to my cats (he is not showing that he is angry) and try sniffing their fur. He almost always does this by running under their heads towards their stomach. The poor cats don’t know what hit them! My older cat kind of back flips and runs away. My younger cat doesn’t seem to know what to do and kind of sits down on him…no biting, claws etc. And they will just both sit there like that…neither struggle. Of course I discourage this behavior with a squirt of the water gun at the younger cat. However, I don’t really want to punish the cat for this when the bunny comes to him first…but of course I want to keep my rabbit safe!
  
  I have been allowing for a little for interaction between my younger cat and my bunny over the last few weeks. The cats will generally ignore the bunny, but he always comes up to them first and starts this. If the bunny doesn’t get a chance to run under them, my younger cat rolls on his back and tries to engage him in play…and the rabbit often binkies and runs back at him…
  
  So is this normal? Should I be concerned? What is the best way to deal with this? What gun at the cat? Is the rabbits insistence on going up to the cats aggression or fear? He never appears to show any of the classic aggression behaviors.
  
  I want to add: they are NEVER left unattended together. We have a large house, so the rabbit can also have floor time in the living room without the cats, but I have been allowing for more “playing” interaction lately to see how they are doing.
- 05/29/2014 at 11:06 AM
  Peony
  Participant
  219 posts
  What is the issue? bunnys are naturally curious. Every once in a while mine will sniff my head if I let her reach me or hop on my back when I am laying down.
  
  The running and binking might reflect the bunny see it as playful and just having fun.(bunnies also do random very fast sprints to show they are happy, it is called the bunny 500)
- 05/29/2014 at 12:04 PM
  MMK
  Participant
  46 posts
  I worry that the cats are going to hurt him or stress him out! I don’t mind him crawling under the cats I just worry about the younger cats reaction of sitting on him….I guess if no one is looking destressed…
  
  I just wonder where to draw the line with them. Should I just leave them be unless anyone is really being obviously hurt? The rabbit doesn’t seem stressed and he does give the kitten back, as much as he gives.
- 05/29/2014 at 12:30 PM
  Peony
  Participant
  219 posts
  Rabbits can get aggressive (if you know bonding stories geeze) I do not know about cats to be honest, I guess just keep an eye on them?
  
  If the rabbit is hurt or don’t like something you know, even baby bunnies can be like shoo shoo:
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pIJX1EO1Ec
- 05/29/2014 at 12:33 PM
  Hazel
  Participant
  2587 posts
  Oscar does this to our cat all the time. Sometimes he will be asking for pets, other times he does this to instigate a game of chase. He knows that if he shoves himself underneath her far enough she will eventually jump up and run and then he chases her all around the room.
  
  I wouldn’t worry about it as long as neither one of them gets aggressive.
- 05/29/2014 at 12:37 PM
  MMK
  Participant
  46 posts
  Thanks guys! My mind is a little more at ease now, I have been kind of discouraging the cat from playing too much, but I think the rabbit has been trying to start a game! As long as no one starts biting or anything.
  
  Although it is weird to see the rabbit go under the cat, the cat lie down on him and they just sit there like that. Silly animals.
- 05/29/2014 at 1:10 PM
  Hazel
  Participant
  2587 posts
  I do allow them to play but I make sure Oscar is always in charge. He is prey and she is a predator, so I never allow her to be in the dominant position while playing. For example, he can chase her but she never gets to chase him. If she does, I stop her right away. I know that she is only playing, otherwise I wouldn’t even let them have contact but I always consider her natural instincts and that dictates how I allow them to interact.
- 05/29/2014 at 4:45 PM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  Olivia loves sniffing my cats. They tend to just run away. I’ve had 5 cats and other than the odd little swipe, I’ve never had a problem with the cats being aggressive. My cats are intimidated by my bunnies, because when my Bridge Bunny Stormy was around, he used to have a ball chasing the cats out of the living room and trying to bite their tails.
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