How to bond cat and bunny

[Hazelbuny]

I have begun to bring my bun, Hazel to my boyfriend’s house for short weekend visits so they can get to know each other before we move in together. At first my boyfriend’s cat was terrified of Hazel and hissed and ran away when he saw her. It’s been about a month of weekend visits and they tolerate each other most of the time. The only issue is that when Hazel is running the cat chases her, he runs right past her most of the time. I think he just enjoys chasing but occasionally he will jump on top of her while he is chasing her. He never uses his claws or bites and jumps off her right away but I’m worried it will stress her out if they are together full time. He also bats her on the head when she gets to close to him but again never using claws. She is a very friendly and curious bunny and likes being around everyone. They have no problem with sitting next to each other, sometimes they will be laying down 1 foot apart with no problems but if she gets in his face to sniff him, he will bat her. Is there any way to get the cat to stop chasing her and hitting her? I do my best to prevent it but I can’t anticipate when he will hit her or chase her. I also tried distracting him while she’s running so his focus will be on chasing a toy instead of chasing her but I won’t be there all the time to distract him. Currently we close the door to her room where her litter box and hay is when we are not home to watch them but I would like her to be free roam 24/7 like she does in my house.

[Sirius&Luna]

It sounds pretty terrifying for a rabbit to have a cat pounce on her, that’s predatory behaviour. Just because you haven’t seen him use claws it doesn’t mean he won’t in the future. It sounds like a pretty dangerous situation for the rabbit, I would keep them separated.

[Dface]

Honestly you can’t have a free roam bunny and a free roam cat in the same house. It’s a disaster waiting to happen, particularly as your cat seems to think the rabbit is an appropriate play toy.

[Bladesmith]

FWIW, I have 2 cats and 2 free roaming rabbits, one a dwarf. I introduced them slowly, over the course of a week, and when they were all put together, I kept my spray bottle nearby to zap the cats at the first sign of aggression. Took a month or so, but the cats got the hint that bunnies weren’t fuzzy chew toys. Of course Clover is bigger than the cats, so she just bulldozes them out of her way. Now, Dawn, our dwarf bun, actually hops over to the Pyewacket the cat when she wants to play run and chase, and pulls on her fur to get her attention and play.

It can be done, but it depends on the cat, and the diligence and time you’re willing to put into it.

Note: Both my cats are indoor cats and not prone to hunting anything more than the occasional bug. A cat who has a history of or is prone to hunting might not be a good candidate.

[E Mac]

I agree with Bladesmith. I don’t have a ton of experience with bunnies, but I do have a lot with dogs, cats, and horses. I have introduced many dogs to my cats which you get into the same issue of prey vs predator, including my cats to Jack Russels whom are cat killers. Not every cat/dog/bunny relationship will work out, but with diligence there is a possibility. My dogs and cats were quite good with the first bunny I watched this summer after the first day. My dogs and cats are used to being trained to get along with other animals, but they also all hunt and are indoor/outdoor animals. Our male cat usually brings us at least on kill every night and my female eats what she wants when she feels like catching it, but is pretty good about keeping it out of the house. One thing that does really help us is my husband’s dog thinks of bunnies as hers and is in absolute love with them. She is chaser instead of a true hunter, but we did still have to keep her from trying to play with him too much.

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