Cats and Rabbits

[ZoetheZoologist]

Hey, just a disclaimer, im new to the forum so apologizes if I don’t follow completely correct forum ethics, I am trying!

So I have been planning on adopting a bun for months now, have started to gather supplies and all that. I move into a new apartment in May so as soon as I am settled I plan to adopt. The thing is, my very close family has an elderly cat who is starting to disagree with the family routine (two small kids and a puppy doesn’t mix well with a thirteen year old Siamese). Beau (the cat) and I have always been close, I have pet sat a number of times. My family and I all want what’s best for all the animals so I plan on taking in Beau to live with me away from the hustle and bustle of children and puppies so he can get the rest and love he needs in his old age.

My only worry is that a cat and rabbit won’t mix well. I’ve read up on cats and rabbits and apparently they can get along no bother but most of the introduction hints deal with young cats and rabbits. Beau is 13, going on 14 in May. He isn’t a hunter, aside from the occasional mouse I suspect he steals from the next door neighbors younger felines. He doesn’t really show any predatory instincts but he does swipe at the dog when she comes too close, so I know he is willing to scrap.

Since I plan on adopting an older rabbit if possible, I worry that the caresheets for introductions won’t fit the bill this time round, especially since I plan on free ranging most of the time if possible (an enclosed space is also going to be present, for times when it is needed) .

So does anyone have any experience with introducing cats and rabbits? Specifically elderly cats if possible, since I don’t know if it makes a difference or not…

Thank you for any advice and help, there’s no rush on this, it’lol be at least three months before either arrive into the household.

[Wick & Fable]

Welcome to BB! It’s great to hear you’ve been doing research and getting supplies. I always suggest buying small or the smallest quantities to begin to see what works best for you and your rabbit. Feel free to post as much as you please! No one is ever 100% prepared for rabbit ownership, and one year with Wick and I’m still learning better care routines.

It will really be up to your cat. It’s good that you state no predatory interests are there. Maybe purchase a stuffed animal rabbit and approach your cat, seeing how it reacts. I recommend adopting a rabbit from a shelter. If you mention having a cat, maybe they’ll allow you to introduce them to observe the behavior.

It’ll also be up to the rabbit too! A rabbit may be defensive or aggressive towards something else in its territory, so an initial introduction to see compatibility would be ideal.

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.

[MountainBuns]

Hello, welcome to Binky Bunny, I hope you stay so I will get to meet you!

About cats and rabbits, I personally have never owned cats but I have a rabbit named Caroline. She is around 4 years old and I am not trying to make you nervous or anything but the whole reason I adopted her is because a cat was trying to murder her.

The family I got her from had 2 cats, one of them loves Caroline but the other was always trying to hunt her. Even when I arrived at the house to meet Caroline the cat was chasing her. Now you say that Beau is not a hunter so I guess if you properly introduce them they could get along well. I would recommend doing extensive research on how to introduce a cat to a rabbit so everything has a possibility of going smoothly.

I wish you the best of luck and if it all works out be sure to stay on the forum and post some pictures of them both!

[Luna]

Hi! Unfortunately, there really isn’t a way to tell how things will go until they meet. I have a cat, Oreo, and she was almost 11 years old when I adopted Luna. Oreo has never liked any animals, though she tolerates my sister’s dog when she comes over. When I brought Luna home, Oreo was curious but anxious (if Luna moved towards her Oreo would back away). After a month or two, Oreo became more comfortable around her. They played a couple times together, and would both seek out each other’s company, but never cuddled. Now, Oreo is 13 years old and is on medication for her joints, so she is a little cranky sometimes. Oreo has never tried to bite Luna, but nowadays Oreo will sometimes take a swipe at Luna if Luna runs past her (Oreo does not have front claws). When this happens, Luna will take a hop or two and then stop for a minute before continuing to hop away, so she doesn’t really trigger that “Chase me, I’m prey” situation.

In all, how things go really depends on both the individual cat and the individual bun. My friend’s bun and cat have a best buds relationship, whereas Oreo and Luna are more indifferent towards each other.

[MountainBuns]

Yes, it really does depend on the type of personality of the pets, as you can see one cat loved Caroline while the other thought she was dinner.

[ZoetheZoologist]

Thank you to all who responded, very mixed reviews but I’m happy to hear that an eleven year old cat tolerated a rabbit ? I will see if any shelter will allow me to introduce Beau to rabbits beforehand, to see how he reacts. Knowing him, he’ll probably run the opposite direction if any of the rabbits are assertive. To other cats he’s macho man but anything else and he prefers to observe! Thanks again for all the advice, it’s a couple of months away but I’ll be sure to post pictures of them all! Thank you xx

[MountainBuns]

Your Welcome!

[diggityd77]

Hi – great question! I had the same concerns when we brought our bunny (Oreo) home to our three cats (ages from 3-5 yrs of age). The bunny is very curious and always hops over to the cats; the cats overall could care less LOL Our one little love-bug cat walks over to Oreo to sniff but that’s about it. If Oreo hops over to the other cats they run away. BUT because cats are cats, I do not trust them 100% – I always supervise, have an eye on things if they are in the same room as Oreo. I believe they have come to realize though that the family room is Oreo’s domain.

[Dylan]

An introduction really is best. It depends on the animals entirely. One of my rescued was pulled from a house with four dogs, they had just gotten a fifth which had chased her and was shaking her by the neck (no clue how she survived). Now we have two large dogs, and we kept them away from her as she was scared of them, but after a while she started to relax. Now she jumps ON my dogs and doesn’t care where they are. One of my dogs is a hunter, but she knows to listen to us. She tried to grab one of the first rabbits I had and a loud “NO” a couple of times did the trick. There are a lot of factors, but give it a try at a shelter! Buns are such great pets: don’t be discouraged!

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