Cat and Rabbit bonding? Any Advice

[Balefulregards]

Has anyone successfully bonded a cat and rabbit?

 

Coco and La Chatte did a great deal of sniffing of one another this afternoon. La Chatte lay in the hay basket I bought for Coco and Coco hopped around sniffing, until La Chatte stood up and began cleaning herself. There was *almost* a nose touch at one point.

La Chatte did not move against Coco in any way, but I was supervising and would occasionally remind La Chatte that I was watching her.

They are both now laying stretched out, looking at each other from about 3 and a half feet away.

I am cautiously optimistic about a friendship developing – and I never leave them unattended.

Am I looking at a two or three month process here?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

No idea here, but good on you for supervising. Even if the cats good, they’re prey animals so it’s a good idea. I know a number of members have cats so they’ll be able to help more!

[BunnyLiz]

i dont have much advice but i know they can get along. one of my cats actually likes (for short periods of time) to play with my bunny. i just bring my cat in the room for playtime. i only do this for about half a hour each day. im afraid that much longer could become stressful at first. of course they are always supervised. here are some pics. i just love the ones with my bunny, Hammer, under my cats, Toluz, tail. the last one is my favorite.

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[MimzMum]

Ahhh…so my cat isn’t the only one who likes to get into the bunny’s personal space! *whew!* I think he just jumps in their xpen to eat the hay though. :-/

I personally don’t recommend buns and cats together because from my experience, if bunny gets too close with the nose to rear end sniffing, usually kitty isn’t too pleased and turns around with those knives we call claws out.

Q.T. does NOT appreciate the buns. He tolerates Mimzy but Pip scares him. He whines if she gets too close to him, so….no cuddles there.

‘Course, I think the feeling is mutual.

[Beeslee]

Minxzie and Beeslee got along right from the start. I think Minxzie was afraid of B at first bc she would not get close to her but now they are side by side and nose to nose. If you let your kitty play with your buns just keep an eye out on them. Make sure your kits claws are clipped so the buns does not get scrached. Minxzie has bobbed B’s on the head a few times with her paw but only for play. She also tried to taste her ears a couple of times but I say NO really loud and she stops. I haven’t seen her do this anymore but I keep a close on her when she is around B’s.

[skunklionshow]

2 out of 4 of my cats just ignore the rabbits.  The biggest problem I had was when the bunnies would sneak out and pee on the cat’s beds!  Very naughty!  My youngest cat, Wolfgang, occassionally gets over excited when the rabbits binky and run like loonies.  He occassionally chases them.  Max has been known to put a paw on them every now and then to stop them from moving.  Once I caught him pouncing Leo.  I don’t let the bunnies out w/ the cats unless supervised b/c I don’t want anyone to get too excited and accidentally squish a bunny.

Jessica is very fast, so she never gets caught.  Leo is kinda of slow and dopey, sometimes, always looking like “do you want to be my friend?”  He doesn’t pick up on cat body lingo so well.  I have only had 1 major cat burgler break into the bunny condo.  I think Katie cat was following a fly or a moth and got in and couldn’t get out.  Phoebe gets excited at the smell of fresh hay, so that’s when she tries to get into their condo. 

[Hedi]

Our Hoopie came from a foster home w/ cats. The first thing they asked us was if we had cats because he just loved theirs so much. We can’t have cats because I am allergic but what is so funny is that he sometimes thinks he IS a cat! Every once in awhile we catch him “sharpening his claws” on the furniture! lol I think he may be a little confused. We have had him for a year so I figured he would have unlearned that cat behaviors by now. lol

But I was told that he would lay around w/ the cats and they would take turns grooming eachother.

[Erbear]

Every once in awhile we catch him “sharpening his claws” on the furniture! lol I think he may be a little confused.

Lol… that’s hilarious.
Radar gets along with cats well… the ones that are lazy and don’t really have a big hunting instinct are her pals. ANyone who gets too agressive usually gets slapped or growled at. (She stayed at a friends house with 4 cats)

[Balefulregards]

La Chatte now chooses to sleep in a basket next to Coco’s bed. There is still watching, but no pouncing…and when La Chatte is sick of the sniffing and leaping around she gets up and leaves.

I think Coco is trying to play with her but La Chatte is not having it…yet. Coco has a way of wearing you down, so I hold out hope. I think this seems a good beginning to their lives together. I would love to Bond Coco to another rabbit, but my husband is not a Pet person and the fact that I have a rabbit living in our bedroom is remarkable.

[kimberleyanddarren]

i think most bunny and cats will get brought up together if they can ever be fully bonded, otherwise i think supervision will always be needed. The best thing to do is just make sure the cat sees the bunny as a positive thing, he must think ‘hey if i am nice to that bunny mommy gives me pets and treats…’ likewise the bunny must feel that there is no danger to his/herself when the cat is around. Just keep trying they will be happy together eventually.

[Vinnie D.]

The cats seem to get along with Nel pretty well. Two are friendly with her, they’ve been seen to groom and cuddle. One is much too lazy to care, and one is absolutely terrified of Nel and goes running whenever he sees her. I think she bit him on the nose once.

[kimberleyanddarren]

lol oh no poor kitty nose!

[Balefulregards]

We had a bit of a set back this afternoon. La Chatte who, up till now, has only been watching and leaving Coco alone got very Stalky with her.

At first it looked like the normal sniff and greet. Until Coco got a little too close and La Chatte raised a paw and tapped her ( no claws out). I reprimanded the cat, and she took off out of the room. Coco was completely nonplussed. Like it happens every day.

At first I assumed it was the pinecones – as La Chatte wanted to play with them when she came back in, but then it rapidly turned into Hunt the rabbit. Coco ran for under the bed and I was in front of the cat saying “The Rabbit is OFF LIMITS”. My husband herded the cat out of the house. I think Coco thought it was play, as she came running out her space behind the bed and binkied. Either that or it is a celebratory dance of defeat.

[CaitlinS]

Kale’s previous family had a cat, and the cat didn’t like him too much because Kale got a little too friendly with the cat, if you catch my drift – wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I think watching is very good. It’s something to keep in mind that a predator plays differently then a prey animal. Predators practice catch and chase and fight for play whereas a prey animal will practice foraging behaviors and hiding and running for play….AND they speak a completely different language, at least instinctually.

If you’re there to interpret, saying ‘gentle, careful’ or something along those lines in a calm drawn out voice, that can help guide your cat to be carefull. At the same time you can be reassuring the bunny if he seems a little putoff.

Since they weren’t raised together I think that your supervising them is great!

[BunMumTiff]

I have no exeprience with cats but with a dog…..my puppy was introduced to my bun when he was about 5 months old only for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. I slowed it down a bit, and today I put Oreo in her new pen and Hunter was runnuin around outside the cage. I would never leave them alone but he was just upset he couldnt gt her new toys that I bought the bunny lol

I am srue for short times they can get along as u are always there

[MarkBun]

I think that the cat isn’t taking to the bun trying to be dominant. Most house buns, I have found, tend to bully cats. I would just keep an eye out. The good news is that house cats are used to being told what to do and if the cat does get out of hand, a quick NO and clap will stop it quickly.

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