(Apologies in advance for the super long post!)

Hi guys! I’ve officially decided to get a kitten and I’m trying to figure out a game plan for introducing him to my bunnies. I have two bonded Holland lops, one is moderately chill but the other is pretty skittish. The kitten will be approximately 3 months old when I bring him home, and already neutered (not sure if that makes a difference).

I’ve tried to do some research online for the best/safest way to introduce them, but I swear every website is contradictory! Some say have the kitten in a carrier while the bunnies are free, some say leave the bunnies in the cage so they’re safe, some say to have both bunny and kitten free during the introduction so the kitten can demonstrate submission by running away, etc. Some people also suggest what basically sounds like prebonding, like swapping items with each others’ scents.

Just to give you an idea of my bunnies’ situation, they currently have (mostly) free roam of my apartment when someone is at home, and stay in their cage when we leave the apartment and at night. Obviously my cat will eventually have free roam of the entire apartment. I plan to keep the bunnies in their cage whenever I can’t supervise their interaction with the cat – just as a safety precaution, at least until I’m 100% convinced the cat isn’t a danger to them.

My plan is to keep the kitten in my bedroom (where the bunnies aren’t allowed) for a few days after we bring him home, just so he isn’t overwhelmed. I was thinking of swapping towels or something during this time so he can get used to their scent and vice versa, but after that I don’t really know how to proceed. I’ve seen a few bunny-meets-kitten videos on youtube where the bunny acts aggressive and scares the kitten, and theoretically after that the kitten just accepts that its place is beneath the bunnies…? Not sure if it always works that way, but because of that I’m a little reluctant to let the kitten get too comfortable with the bunnies (e.g. meeting them through the cage) because I don’t want the bunnies to lose their only edge (i.e. the surprise intimidation factor).

Does anyone have any experience with this or suggestions for me? I’d welcome any and all suggestions, and I also have a few specific questions:

-I was thinking maybe I could get a harness and leash for the kitten and introduce them on the floor, so their interaction could be as natural as possible but I could still easily grab the kitten if he gets fiesty. Does that make sense, or does anyone have a better idea?

-Do you think this is a one or two-time thing, or should I be treating it more like bonding bunnies where I give them controlled doses of each other for several weeks? 

-Is there any reason to introduce them in “neutral” territory? I’m kind of inclined to do the introduction in the bunnies’ territory so they defend it instead of running and hiding, but I’m not sure if that’s the right answer.

-Does the fact that I’m introducing the kitten to two bunnies change anything? I’d hate for one bunny to be friends with the cat while the other one is terrified. (Mimi is definitely more of a scaredy-bun than Mochi.)

Thanks in advance!!