Bonding Bunny and Scaredy-Cat

[PeachyCream]

Hello! I have a middle-aged cat (has been with this family for a few years now) named Maggie whom I love dearly <3 She goes outdoors but she's very docile, she's never scratched or bitten anyone and she's only killed 1 creature (a bird) since I've lived here. However she's also very timid. We know she's scared of other cats but I never expected her to be scared of my male rabbit!</p>

Honestly, we expected her to try and hunt him, but instead she’s behaving very paculiarly for a cat.  Bright Eyes, my male mid-sized adult lop rabbit doesn’t seem to take much interest in her. He’ll try and sniff at her but other than that doesn’t appear afraid or threatened by her. However, Maggie is really scared of him! She avoids him at all costs and if he is even in the same room at her she puts on her “scared” face and begins to skulk away before turning it to a nervous gallop.. It’s really quite funny but I don’t want this to be the case. I’ve become quite close with the cat and I want her to feel safe around Bright Eyes… I don’t expect them to be great friends but perhaps make it at least so that she isn’t afraid of him…

I’ve only had this bunny a day so I do know it will take some time but I wonder what your suggestions may be… What I’ve done so far is I’ve picked her up and held her while I sit next to the rabbit…. She’s hissed at him once when he’s come too close but has never tried to strike out at him… I batted her on the nose to show her it was wrong and when she’s behaved I’ve given her a treat… I usually let her go after only a minute…

I wonder if that is a good approach or if perhaps holding her in place is not a good way to show her that the rabbit isn’t dangerous… Have you guys been able to succeed in a similar situation? Do you have any suggestions as to how to go about this?

[Deleted User]

Think you may want to read the article on rabbit.org (the House Rabbit Society) about bonding rabbits with other pets. (In this case I don’t really think bonding is a good term.) Your cat’s reaction isn’t unusual, but my own opinion is that if your rabbit has only been home a day you are moving things along a little too quickly. Let them get used to each other being there, without Any forced interaction. Later on supervised introductions (like the ones you described) would be a good approach, but for now it would be a good idea to let them just get used to seeing each other, and having the others scent in their living space. This would be a good approach even if your cat’s attitude was relaxed, since it isn’t I’d suggest this adjustment period is even more vital. Let them be for a couple of weeks at the very least. My cats tend to like to observe things, even those they don’t like, and chances are she’ll come investigate and draw her own conclusions given time. As long as the rabbit is safe (cats can do a lot of damage, and a frightened animal can be more dangerous then a calm one), letting them just spend time in the house/room together while the rabbit is safely penned (or caged) would be wise. If she shows any aggressive behaviour when she has herself chosen to be near the rabbit then I’d scold her for it (or remove her), but as long as it isn’t nasty I’d let be.

[PeachyCream]

Yeah you might be right, I just tried a meeting in my room between the two and the cat was very distressed. Bright Eyes, my rabbit, seemed fine and he even tried to sniff at the cat but she hissed and did her angry “meow” at him (don’t worry she didn’t swipe at him, she’s a very gentle creature)
But I’ve decided to leave it for a few weeks and try again when the cat has gotten used to the scent and presence of the rabbit. She’s curiously approached the cage but not for very long…

I guess I’m too eager to move things along that I’ve forgotten that animals need time to adjust. I really should remind myself of this to stop myself and my pets from getting too distressed…
I have a feeling Maggie will warm up to Bright Eyes eventually, she’s a very sweet cat once she warms up to someone… and I think the rabbit would do well to have another animal companion eventually but I won’t press the matter.. I’ll keep a wait and see approach…

[Deleted User]

There are many people who have had positive experiences with cats and rabbits so I expect some time and patience will be good investments and bring results. My last rabbit’s best friend for many years was my oldest cat, and later when I adopted a kitten she went from regarding him as lunch to caring terribly about him. Spent days lying on his empty cage looking for him after he died. She is becoming friendly with my new pair, her feelings were a little hurt at first since unlike my other rabbit they had each other and so took longer to notice her. Now she spends lots of time in their room and sleeping on their cage. It looks horribly uncomfortable to lie on so I have to think its the company. They may never play together but once your cat has had time to adjust and understand something about your new furry one I think they will build some kind of relationship. You can help along the way but they will have to come to terms with each other in their own way.

[PeachyCream]

Well my cat is being very good around him… As he spends his time getting to know his surroundings she tends to keep her distance and observe this strange new creature xD I do think once Bright Eyes gets used to being around the house and Maggie gets used to having him around they’ll be able to live harmoniously at the very least.

Actually today something rather amazing happened! Our neighbour’s cat got into the house and began lurking around Bright Eyes, who was on the sofa at the time… Maggie actually jumped to defend the rabbit! I’m not sure why she did it, but I was very proud of her… I’m happy to say that Bright Eyes was fine, the cat never got to him and he didn’t really seem to notice the danger xDD I kicked the cat out (but got a nasty bite on the leg from it..) we got the neighbour to take her cat home and the door is more secured now… A bit frightening but I’ll have to make sure the sliding door to our back garden is completely shut.. I still wonder why my cat would defend my rabbit like that when she still seems nervous of him…

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