Introducing a blind kitten to a rabbit.

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 2sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 7 months ago by Azerane.

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- 10/11/2016 at 1:32 AM
  Raelin
  Participant
  1 posts
  I have had Howard (Howie) for almost 8 months now. I adopted her (yes her, she already answered to her name when we found out she was a girl, had been previously named) when she was around a year old. She has been spayed and she’s super active and intelligent and loving. When I first got her, I lived with a roommate with a cat, also female (declawed, spayed, and around 3 yr old). After about 3 weeks of them getting a feel and smell of each other through under the door to my bedroom, and after Howie had established her domaine in my room, I introduced them. They immediately got along famously. Howie held her ground and was actually slightly on the aggressive side, which worked for wolfie (roommates cat) because she needed to be put in her place too. They played and sometimes got annoyed with each other. They were true sisters. Howie has also had experience with other friend’s cats that came to visit and she had no problems with any of them, they were kinda freaked out, but she mostly said hi and kept to herself.
  Here is my problem though. I just rescued a 5 month old kitten named Zuko (boy, not yet neutered, claws intact) and he is just the most precious thing. I had been looking for a companion for Howie because I am gone for work everyday and I think she gets lonely, and I knew she got along well with cats. But the problem is, Zuko can mostly just see shapes, but mostly goes off sound and smell. So he’s very tactile, he likes to feel around with his paws and is naturally curious.I’ve only had Zuko for about a week, so he’s still gaining confidence in my home, but now that I am in a studio apartment, there is no separate room for me to keep him in. He’s always trying to reach through the cage to figure out what Howie is, and the one time they briefly mistakenly met, he reached for her to investigate, and she grunted and charged him. I know it will take some time for them to get used to each other, but I’m just wondering if anyone had any advice on how to make this easier on them both? Poor Howie loves her run time, but since I got Zuko, I keep her in the cage most of the time to avoid confrontation.
  Sorry for such a long post, I hope someone can help! I want my kiddos to get along!
- 10/11/2016 at 2:04 AM
  Mikey
  Participant
  3186 posts
  Until he gets a feel for his surroundings, you will have to keep them like this. It would be best if you dont declaw him (its very painful on cats; its the equivalent to removing the top knuckle of your fingers), so you will have to make sure they are both comfortable and confident before you allow them both to free roam. Be very careful with him sticking his paws into her cage. If she decides she doesnt want him doing that, she could bite, rip skin, and even break some bones in his toes. There is also a chance she will lunge at him and scare him causing him to claw at her, which will not only cause damage but also likely aggravate her into a full fight between the bars
  
  Are there hidey spots only your kitten can reach? Are there hidey spots only your bunny can reach? Having specified hidey spots might be very helpful should they not want to interact all of the time
- 10/11/2016 at 6:10 AM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  This is a tough one, and I’m not sure how to suggest proceeding with it. It is a good idea to take it slow and while I definitely agree with that, I’m worried there could also be harm in leaving it too long before introducing them, as Zuko gets bigger, he’s going to get more powerful, maybe he’ll never really claw too much because of his vision issues and he may just be tactile, paws on. But ultimately he’s going to want to touch her to get a feel for her, whether it’s sooner or later, and I worry that if he doesn’t get that out of the way now, he may be too forceful with it later, hard to say.
  
  The fact that he is reaching into her space may be what’s largely causing her reaction. I might also suggest allowing them to interact in the opposite way, with Zuko in a carrier and Howie out running around, so that she can approach Zuko as she chooses and interact with him, instead of him forcing his paws through the bars into her space all the time. I might suggest putting a finer netting on Howie’s cage for now so that Zuko can’t reach through. Not only is it safer for them both, but I imagine it will help Howie to feel more comfortable in her space.
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