Bond with a kitty?

[Jeeshway]

I have a mini holland lop named Appa, He’s about 2 years old now. My sister a while back got a cat and so we tried to introduce them to see if the cat would be friendly or if she was a hunter. Appa did not seem to care about the cat, he was a little bit interested but was never angry or scared by it, but the cat was definitely trying to get him when he ran away, which did scare him. We kept them separate from then on but after the cat ran away my sister adopted a male kitten. So we introduced Appa and the kitten and now it is the other way around. Appa seems to hate the kitten as every time it gets close he grunts, lunges, and then runs away; though the kitty seems to be curious but not hunting him or trying to get him, just sniff/lick him. After Appa has been around the cat he is upset for a while, because when I try to approach him he grunts and lunges at me too! which he never does, so I’m wondering if he is upset with me for smelling like cat, or if he’s just extra defensive because he is still scared, or what. But I’m also wondering if there is any way now to ease him up to kitten so they can be friends or if we need to just keep them completely separate.

[DanaNM]

I think he’s teaching the kitten some boundaries, which is probably good in the long run. He learned from his past experience that cats can sometimes try to get him, so I think his behavior makes sense.

As the kitten gets older, he will probably learn to give Appa his space, and Appa will learn that he doesn’t need to be so defensive. But then again, maybe as the cat grows he will be more aggressive towards Appa, so it’s prob good that Appa is setting himself up as the boss. I think for now supervising makes sense. I wouldn’t try to put them together intentionally, but if they happen to be in the same room, supervising the interaction to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand is a good idea. My cat and bunnies are pretty relaxed together, but will never be friends exactly.

I definitely wouldn’t let the cat continue to try to mess with him since it is scaring him so much.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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