Cats and Bunnys

[Dextervonbon]

I wasn’t sure where to post this.  We are planning on adopting a cat after our move.  I am not sure how well cats and bunnys get along but would it be better to get a kitten or an adult cat.  I was thinking a kitten so they can basically grow up together.  Dexter is out of his cage most of the day and I just want to make sure that the cat won’t hurt him or vice versa.   Any advice or suggestions are welcome   Thanks!

[ScooterandAnnette]

We’ve got 3 cats as well as the bunnies (and a dog).  The first cat we adopted as an adult, he’s totally scared of the bunnies.  The other two we got (separately) as kittens, and they grew up with the bunnies.  We watched them carefully as kittens to make sure they didn’t get overly rambunctious with the bunnies when trying to play with them.  We even locked the kittens out of the room the bunnies were in overnight for about 2 months until they came to realize that they can’t roll around the floor with the bunnies.    When Ringo joined the family we already had Sierra, who was about a year at that point.  But when Sierra joined we just had the bunnies and the older cat, who really didn’t want much to do with Sierra.  As a result then Sierra started to think she was a bunny.  It was pretty cute.

 

– Annette

[2lops]

I would think a young cat (but not kitten) would be a good idea since kittens are somewhat playful and might like to play fight/bite/chase Dexter? Idk..all cats are different.. I don’t own any but that’s just my opinion. (:

[Sage Cat]

One of the shelters near me keeps most of their cats & kittens in one big room – so the cats are well socialized. This type of situation might make it easier for the cat to get along with another animal.
A shelter might let you have meet & greet dates with Dexter. It is worth asking.
I would think a kitten or a young cat would be the easier than an old cat. And yes, I agree a kitten “might like to play fight/bite/chase Dexter” -So it just depends – how is that for helpful – he, he.

[Dextervonbon]

Thank you for all the replies That did actually help a lot. I think I will check into the meet and greet date thing. That is a good idea.

[jerseygirl]

Annette, that picture is priceless!

[TARM]

There are four cats living at the rabbit rescue and none of them bother the bunnies. The ferret rescue had two cats and they didn’t bother the little critters either. I don’t know if those were just really well behaved cats and the owners got lucky or if that’s the norm.

[KatnipCrzy]

As long as the cat/kitten has a low prey drive- either should be fine.  The biggest concern with letting a bunny and a cat or kitten play together is the difference in how they play.  Cats like to wrap their front paws around their playmate and bite and kick- and while that is usually fine between kitties- bunnies are more delicate.  Bunnies are more prone to abcesses and a little bite or scratch- especially a puncture that traps bacteria- can easily turn into an abscess that is not apparant until weeks later when the infection and swelling or drainage is noticeable.

I have 5 cats and 3 bunnies- and I do allow them together- but I watch to make sure the cats do not “play fight” with them- not only can it injure the bunnies they are not impressed with it at all.  Sometimes a grooming session between the cats and the bunnies starts to turn into “play fighting” too.  One of my bunnies will actually nip my cats in the belly if they stop grooming her!  So I have to watch her more carefully than the other bunnies since I have to worry about her instigating a bite or kick response from the cats.

Boday language concerning grooming seems to have totally different meanings for cats than it does rabbits!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Here’s a great article http://www.rabbit.org/journal/2-11/cats-and-rabbits.html

I’ve never personally owned a cat but known lots and seen cats & bunnies together-there are four cats who live at our rabbit shelter. Two are shy but two come out and play with the bunnies. I call them volunteers since as soon as I try to do an adoption they purring on the papers people are trying to fill out. They are more down there for attention from us then playing with the bunnies, but they’ll often go into the playroom and romp around with the toys (cardboard boxes and tunnels are really cat toys too!) with the bunnies. They’re a bit nervous about contact-but they do touch noses often and once Guss humped a cat….

[angoralvr]

I’ve got four cats and I have no problems with them with Acorn or the birds actually. I got all mine as kittens though and when I got them I had a hamster who used to run around the living room floor. I’ve found that cats learn real quick the difference between prey and family members. It might take a reminder or two, but in general I think that cats and bunnies do fine together. Acorn sleeps with my calico just about every night in fact!

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