Help and advice!

Hi Hoppy Friends
Hope you are all well and your buns are all bouncy
Just after your help, as you know I have my baby boy Shadow who is a part time house rabbit, my friends cat is pregnant and she's asked if I'd like one. I've always had cats until ours died 3 years ago, it was heart wrenching and hubby didn't want another. I'd love one but I'm worried how it would effect Shadow, I want to put his needs first and he is most important so don't want to upset him.
Do you think he'd be able to accept a kitten and be friends with it? Would I need to bond them like you bond rabbits?
Any of your experiences or thoughts on this will be very valuable to me before I tell my friend yes or no, I don't want to upset the apple cart!
Thank you
Emma x

Hi

I have eight cats and three outdoor bunnies and two indoor ones and they get on just fine. The only time I have worried is when I adopted two very young bunnies and I did then put a cover over the run just in case the cats thought they were large mice.

I did worry a bit when I adopted George as a house bunny but he is definitely boss over the cats and just chases them when he gets fed-up. It's exactly what happens with my outdoor buns in the summer when they are in the front garden with the cats. They will play for a while and when the buns get fed-up they just chase the cats who climb something.

Having a kitten would be lovely as s/he could grow up with Shadow. I always think it is kinder to get kittens in pairs but yours would have a ready made playmate. I had a litter of kittens the year before last and they were fine with the bunnies. I didn't 'bond' them as such but only let them have supervised access initially until I was sure they would be OK.

I say go for it!!!!

I don't have any experience with this, but it's not uncommon to have a bunny/cat friendship, but I guess it's partly down to the animals concerned as well. Cats don't bond with each other, so they have different social needs to bunnies.

Catswhiskas and EllieMay (and others I'm sure) have experience of cat/bunny relationships, I'm sure they'll be along to help soon

ETA Sorry Rhianna, I think we posted at the same time

My house rabbits have all chased my cats and been boss - and they have mainly been small wildies - which my biggest cat hunts outdoors - but indoors she jumps 6 foot in the air and runs off every time one comes near. The only thing i did was when they were babies was not leave them all unattended - both ways - baby rabbits with cats and kittens with rabbits. I never left Lola unattended as a kitten with Foxy as Foxy used to pounce on Lola and box her and beat her up and being a small kitten she couldn't get away.

Jay wrote: I guess it's partly down to the animals concerned as well.

I think this is bang on! It will totally depend on the personality of both the cat and shadow!

When Brynn arrived as a tiny baby Tori (my cat) was terrified and would bat at her and hiss (but her curiosity always led her back for more). Brynn wasn't the slightest bit concerned, and after three days she could hop up to Tori and sniff her without Tori running away. After those first three days I never had a problem with them together. Tori would give Brynn kissess and they would play with one another.

Hippo lived at his foster home with 4 cats. He loved all of them. One of them was a tiny little kitten who hid inside the carrier when we put Hippo in it... almost ended up with another cat! Right away he immediately loved Tori, but he was much more demanding than Brynn. He constantly wanted her to give him kisses (and the novelty of that wore of pretty quickly for Tori).

Once Brynn and Hippo were bonded we all lived happily for about a week. All of a sudden one day Hippo lunged at Tori with his ears pinned back and got a big chunk of fur. This happened a few more times before both Tori and I realized she could no longer lounge out with the buns. For a while it was really bad. Anytime he saw her he would attack . Now, I think it's more of a game to him. She runs away from him so I think he thinks they are playing (he doesn't put his ears back anymore). It's gotten to the point where I can read him pretty well so I can stop him/protect her before he goes for her. 1/2 the time he ignores her completely and 1/2 the time he focuses everything on her. Luckily she still enjoys watching them. So she usually just perches on her cat tree or comes and cuddles with me when the buns are out.

Also, it took Tori a long time not to be scared of Brynn. She would just bolt anytime she saw any bunny. Now she can tell the difference between Brynn and Hippo. Sometimes when Brynn comes out of the room, but Hippo stays in Tori and Brynn will socialize like they use to, which is nice.

Surprisingly, it's likely the cat you'd need to be more concerned for. Rabbits seem so sweet and innocent, but it's terrifying how aggressive they can be. You know your animals best, and so it's all about testing it out and reading their body language. Be sure to keep the kitten safe though!

I totally think it's doable but you'd definitely need to monitor them together for a long time. Also, make sure the cat has high places to go!


p.s. - Keep us posted!

I think ElleyMay is right - it is the cat you need to be more concerned for.

When Herbie wintered indoors three years ago he took great delight in winding our cat up. On one famous occasion Bobbie was sat on a small table looking out of a window. I could see Herbie eyeing Bobbie up then he leapt on to the table under her nose, did a lap around her and then jumped back down again before she had time to react

At the moment Gabriel will have a go at Bobbie if she ventures to close and has pulled some of her fur out. I wonder if they actually had a full on fight who would come off worst.

I have no experience of kittens with bunnies - but handled carefully I am sure it would work out. Personally, I never ever leave Bobbie alone with the bunnies.

I have a cat and 2 outside buns and 3 indoor buns, and as others have already said, it all depends on the animals concerned. But yes I would worry about the cat more, Bluey's favourite game is sneaking up on the cat and sniffing her tail so she jumps and runs off, you can almost see a smirke on his face

I would put my money on a bunny winning a fight with a cat! They are so fast with their teeth. I think that cats are more designed to stalk and take their prey by surprise. If their 'prey' comes at them with fangs bared, they back off pretty quickly.

Thank you everyone for your help, guess I would just see how they went
With it being my friends cat I always have the option of giving it back if it didn't work out
I saw her yesterday and she has homes for 3 possibly 4 (they aren't even born yet ) so this problem may be taken out of my hands. The mother had kitten last year too and had 4 then. I do wish she would take her to get neutered though then this problem wouldn't arise. She had a baby herself at the same time as the cat had the kittens so she just never had the chance to get to the vet, then the cat escaped at christmas hence the pregnancy now. Think after this lot I'll offer to take her
Emma x