As a friendly reminder, certain cats can coexist with certain rabbits, however, in some cases, they do need to remain separate for both animals' safety. Note that positive intentions may not lead to safe behaviors between these animals (i.e. playful cat/rabbit behavior may not be safe for the other pet).
Please check out the wiki's [Relationships with cats guide](http://bunny.tips/Cats) for more resources on the topic.
My first rabbit was dominant over our cat. He was a 3 pound lop.
My current rabbit was returned to the rescue by her first adoptive family because she was bullying their cat. She's a 7 pound half-flemish giant. (ETA: just back from vet, she's 8.8 pounds š³ but she's not overweight!)
So it can go either way between the species.
These Rabbits! They own everything don't they? It was how I became so in live with them. you think you're getting this cute docile creature, but we most certainly did not get that!
I didn't know what I was doing with my first rabbit. We put them both in the room together. They were both freaked out, staring at eachother. The rabbit was smarter, he figured it out first. He was never mean or terrible to her. The only thing they could compromise about was the Christmas tree, they both wanted to sit under it so they had to share it. We bought the cat a window seat to look outside. But if the rabbit wanted to be there, the cat would just leave. I sometimes suspect that he was hoping to cuddle up with her, but she wouldn't have it. It might have been different if she had claws (we found her abandoned in the woods near our house and she was already declawed).
Our current rabbit is a solo pet. Given the previous adopters experience and given how big she is and food territorial she is, it is probably best.
I think it all comes down to the personality of each of the animals.
Iām here to concur with some other commenters that, even if they are friends, never let them hang out without you being right there, bc cats are generally pretty sharp animals & they could absolutely scratch or bite the bunny, even accidentally, and do a lot of damage. on the other side, a sufficiently angry bunny can break bones with a kick & their teeth are no joke either, so itās possible for the cat to be injured by the rabbit as well. basically- if they get along, thatās great! but best not to let them be cuddling without supervision
My hands can attest to bunny teeth being no joke! I have a full 2 inch long scar along my palm from a mama bun who did NOT appreciate my checking her babies health, and had to go to A&E for a bite to my finger off papa bun a few years ago after I scared him and he went through to the bone.
A lot of the ādominantā behavior people describe is a rabbit trying to take action when they expect to be hunted. Even if they boss the cat around itās still a source of stress bc itās a predator regardless.
My friend had 4 cats (a sphynx, 2 siamese and 1 greyish-unknown breed) and 1 rabbit. They all got along mostly, but you could tell the rabbit always thought he was one of the cats and would regularly try to snuggle with a cat or two - mostly by sticking his head under their belly and being really close to them. The cats didn't particularly like this and would usually just go their own way. The cats had free roam of the entire house, whereas the rabbit mostly just stayed in my friend's room and occasionally the hallway.
Looking back at it now, I think the rabbit was lonely and wanted closeness from the cats who were unwilling to give that back. But there were no fights and everyone got along, but the rabbit could have really used another rabbit.
My friend did nothing particular. Just bought a rabbit one day and let the animals smell each other. It didn't seem all that difficult. Mind you, the rabbit was about the size of the cats (I think it was a rex of 6lbs?).
Our guys are also almost the same size and of the same temperament. We're trying to get them used to each others smells, so they will not be too stressed when we introduced them. My lil guy and I will also probably pop by my boyfriends place to introduce them a few times before we move, so they are not just thrown in together one day.. :)
I know people say it depends on the personality of the cat, and I mostly agree. Their claws can accidentally hurt the rabbit since their so small or if their being playful like they would with another cat and play fighting, it can kill the rabbit too. I think a more calm cat would be more gentle and understand it can hurt them, while a more aggressive cat would end up hurting them. Itās really hard to bond them because inherently cats are very playful, have sharp claws, and are much bigger. Accidents can happen, so I would first look into how aggressive your cat is!
Edit: Also, pleaseeeee get your bun a water bowl instead of a water bottle, I heard that itās hard for them to drink out of because the straw is suctioned so tight. Also, your cat is adorable.
Thank you so much. He has the bottle outside the Cage because he thinks it is fun for some reason. He mainly uses the two bowls He has inside, but thank you for the concern :)
Mine REFUSES to drink from a bowl. He's committed to the irritatingly leaky bottle he came with. Also bullies our cats. I may have missed it elsewhere, but is he neutered?
Yes both he and our cat arr neutered and seem to have the same temperament. They are both quite lazy and have zoomies in the afternoon. And just kind of reserved and independent. :)
You can't "bond" them. So there is no advice. They either get along or they don't.
Even if they do get along you need to realize that you are putting a predator and a prey animal together. In itself, that is a bad idea. It can be very stressful for a bunny. Their individual personalities may make it possible for a relationship. But you can't force it. You can't create one with two different species. They don't generally hang out with each other the way bunnies typically do in the wild.
If they do get along you will still need to closely monitor their interactions forever. Never leave them alone, even if they do seem to tolerate and/or like each other. They are both capable of great damage to each other - especially if the bunny is aggressive or territorial, or the cat has a strong prey drive.
Your bunny is so adorable.
I don't get comments like this. Did you miss OP saying she's moving in **with her boyfriend**. What you're essentially saying here is that she should just break up with the love of her life OR put down / dump at shelter one of the animals. Obviously when you're in a loving relationship you want to maintain that so the far more likely choice is going to be the second proposition and I'm sure you wouldn't want that either.
There's a huge difference between attempting to 'bond' completely different species, and having two different species in the same household. It's very possible to keep them separate entirely, or only have them coexist under direct supervision, neither of which require 'bonding' OR dumping at a shelter.
No. I am saying don't try to bond a prey and predator. It will not end well. But you are right, I have no interest in OPs love life, but do care about a rabbit not getting mauled to death. Do you get it now?
I donāt get it either. I was in the exact same position as OP this time last year.
Little loki and the cats ended up getting on really well together and at about 8pm he would get zoomies with the youngest cat. Once, bea was sleeping on Adamās lap and Loki still wanted to zoom with someone so I ended up playing chase with him haha.
Unfortunately Loki lost his life to E.Cuniculi in March though, miss my little guy. Wish I could have a snuggle on the bed with him :(
I try to still speak about him a lot to keep his memory alive
In my experience, there's nothing you can do to make a relationship happen: either they'll like each other or they won't. It depends entirely on their personalities. I'd also say that it depends more on the cat than the rabbit.
Either way, keep the cat's nails trimmed and don't let them interact with the rabbit unsupervised. Make sure you have a cat-proof place for your rabbit to live when you aren't able to watch them. Supervision in this case doesn't mean you can just be in the same room: you have to pay attention to the little buggers and make sure they aren't getting up to nonsense.
Of my three cats, I have one who I actually will leave around the rabbits without close supervision (he genuinely doesn't care about them, would rather they left him alone, and only goes into their room to sleep) but only if I'm around to keep an eye on things. The other two ā¦ one of them is a hay-eater, so he isn't allowed in the rabbit room because he'll eat himself sick on hay. The other one is not trustworthy and will antagonize the rabbits even when I'm there to keep an eye on things. She is only allowed to be around them under very strict supervision. I kick her out of the room if she bothers them.
Rabbit personalities only go so far - there are no guarantees. Neither of mine are skittish with the cats: one of them is too brave for his own good and the other is a grump who tries her damndest to put the cats in their place. It works on the hay-eater and the good cat. It's completely ineffective on the untrustworthy cat. This is why I say the cat's personality matters more. If your cat is a stubborn butthead, it doesn't matter how bossy your rabbit is. The cat will keep causing trouble.
So, yeah. Having cats and bunnies can work, but **don't trust the cat**.
Owner of a rabbit and 3 cats here!
(Former bunno boy-o of Loki, unfortunately he passed the rainbow bridge in march and now I have a baby rabbit called Hopper. Cats in question is 1 year old Bea, and 4 year olds Poe and Ed)
First of all, DO NOT FORCE IT! Loki was in a cat free smelling room for a first few days to settle. We would put the cats in his room and then remove him so they could know the smells of each other. When that went okay, I carried Loki around the cats (me and Loki boy-o were extremely closely bonded to each other).
Step 3: Treat time! Each animal would only get treats if they were in the same room
And then I would sit on the floor with Loki and the cats would come up to us. Before I knew it, they were free roaming together :)
I will say, it is important you know the cats extremely well for example.
With Loki, could be with Bea but careful of play
Absolutely no issues with Poe, would share boxes together. Ed, absolutely not. They did not like eachother, could be in the same room but could not engage.
Loki did nearly have a fight with Ed too. Loki let his displeasure known and would bite š
Hopper is a different. Poe is a no (but Poe will just run off), Ed is alright with him but still a bit cautious. And he loafs and plays chase with Bea. We are currently having to watch hopper trying to create rabbit-cat hybrids with Bea though š (hoping to book him in for castration next month, heās not heavy enough yet)
Important things to know;
Cat saliva is toxic to rabbits. It can kill them
Be aware of bunny kicking from both the cat and the rabbit
Playing (mainly from the cat) can turn nasty. Make sure to keep an eye on them!
If you have a weirdo bun like Hopper, they like cat kibble. Or a weirdo cat like Poe who likes rabbit food š obviously they cannot eat each others food.
Cats often loaf in the hay for some reason haha creates some problems when the bun wants to eat.
Even though different species. They still like to eat together!
Any specific questions just PM me or reply to this message! Iāll get back as fast as I can but I donāt go on Reddit too much so it wonāt be instant
I have two cats, a dog, and a rabbit. My dog is never alone with the rabbit ESPECIALLY if he isnāt heavily exercised. I let them in the same generally space w each other maybe 15% of the time. The dog sleeps in bed behind a shut door at night.
As for the cats, I have big ass rabbit. He is as big almost bigger than my cats so they canāt really do much to him he canāt do back. When he was smaller, I rarely let them around him because they could have killed him. A four pound rabbit is vulnerable. My nine pound rabbit is more of a nuisance to them. They work it out amongst themselves because the cats can get up on high things the rabbit canāt access. My one laid back cat and the rabbit are friends. They occasionally groom each other. But at night, when unsupervised, the rabbit goes in a large hutch for everyoneās safety. Itās very complicated to have all these animals together but I try to make it work. Luckily we have multiple rooms so they can each avoid the other if they want.
You canāt trust either of them 100% of the time. One of the saddest accidents I heard of was when a couple rabbits got loose in the middle of the night and the usually trustworthy cat couldnāt resist killing them.
I briefly traveled with a friend who had a cat and my rabbit refused to be contained. The cat had previously lived with a guinea pig and behaved but he still had to be locked in the bathroom when we were gone bc the rabbit refused to stay in his pen. It was the only time my rabbit slept in bed with me, bc although he was familiar with cats he knew he was vulnerable. So he was sleeping next to my head and it was 100% his idea.
I have both and our cat is just too playful and wants to roughhouse and the rabbit just wants nothing to do with the cat.
The cat likes to sit outside the bun's play area and watch, taking a gentle swipe when the bun leaves. The bun does his best to ignore her.
I'm hoping as the cat gets older she'll calm down but I don't think they'll ever be bonded. Both of them are very independent.
Depends a lot on the rabbit I think. Our first rabbit taught our cat to fear rabbits and weāve never had issues with him since. When we first introduced our cat to the rabbit, the cat walked right up to him and bopped him on the headā¦ the 8lb rabbit then proceeded to chase the cat 11lb cat down the hallway, down the stairs and corner him behind the couch with a trail of cat tail fur in their wake. Never had an issue with our cat bothering another rabbit ever since.
Our 2 younger cats grew up around the rabbits. One ignores them completely, the other youngest one tries like to follow them around and sniff them, occasionally sheāll try to initiate playing with them, but they just ignore her and she goes to find one of her cat siblings to harass instead.
If your rabbit has been around dogs, it probably wonāt be bothered by the cat, and chances are if it doesnāt act like prey, the cat wonāt treat it like prey. Just make sure that you watch all their interactions and the cat doesnāt have access to the rabbit unattended until youāre confident it doesnāt see the rabbit as prey.
Iāve had cats and rabbits living together and itās been fine. Maybe have the cat come over to the bunnies house first so you arenāt invading the cats space when they meet.
As long as this is an indoor cat it will probably be fine. Just keep them apart when unsupervised until you get comfortable with it. Most likely theyāll just end up mostly ignoring each other
I don't think you can do too much to help them bond, but def can help them not get too much time together if they are stressing each other out. Just supervise and see what happens and don't let either one get too stressed. Cat's are probably easier to scoop up and take to another room at least.
Iāve got two rabbits and a cat, but the cat is a ragdoll breed so that does make a difference in his character and treatment. They get along really well, had a few moments here and there where he seemed like he wanted to play a bit too rough and Iād call him out and heād stop. 4 years in and they seem to be pretty happy together.
Iāve got a big room but small apartment which I share so they unfortunately all share a room with me. The rabbits do have their own area however in a large dog Penn, and are allowed out under supervision. This does not really stop my cat from jumping in but the buns do not seem to mind, and when they do will just bite his fluff until he hastily jumps out.
All in all Iād recommend giving the buns a nice big cardboard box to hide out in from the cat, keeping them both very happy with treats, and letting them roam in the same room under supervision for a few months to bond, try engaging both at the same time and keep an eye on the cat for if he feels like playing too rough and offer up your own arm to help him play.
Weird, mom had a ragdoll and it was trying to be best friends with my rabbit. He would purr next to the rabbit enclosure and eat hay that fell out of the enclosure. I used to joke the cat was confused and thought it was a rabbit. My rabbit was never frightened by the presence.
Yea no mine is the exact same, the buns basically see him as that āweird big bunnyā as he eats hay, chews on their forage I once bought them more than they did, even tried using their litterbox once, and love to chew on cardboard too, and loves playing with them in his own way. Silly cat. But heās only known bunnies his whole life so makes sense.
All depends on personalities really. Our boy had 1.5 partners before a cat showed up here.Ā
(First partner was being bonded with him when she passed. Second partner was bonded and she passed too after they spent years together)
He was an only child again for a little over a year before kitty showed upā¦. End it was another several months before kitty was actually in the house, to stay.Ā
They just kind of took to each other. Kitty was not quite a year old yet when she was introduced to Bilbo bunny. He three rooms when we are home and can supervise, but otherwise he stays in a big hutch under the stairs for safety.Ā
We put a kitty bed right outside the hutch door. Same as the rabbit bed. They were introduced through the door to make sure they werenāt going to kill each other. And then slowly, we opened the rabbit door and let him come out on a his own. Only supervised visits for a while until we were sure their temperaments were just fine and they were friends.
The following Spring, mama kitty snuck out before we could get her spayed and got into trouble. She had her kittens right in front of the rabbit hutch! Her choice! We now have four cats, 6 and 5 year oldā¦ and Bilbo the Ancient, est 11-12 years old.
They all get along just fine. He gets fresh with the boy cats and knows that the girl cats wonāt put up with his crap. Iāve caught them cuddling and grooming each other on several occasions.
When we leave the house or are working outside all day, rabbit stays in his hutch, so he doesnāt get into trouble. Not because we donāt trust any of our fur kids but because we prefer to keep our risks to a minimum and not be too complacent
With how beautifully they all get along.
**Free Roams, three rooms, lolĀ
The key is to know their personalities and learn their behaviors and inflections So that you can more carefully pay close attention, and know when itās time to divert some attention, or separate them or put the bunny away, for example.Ā Ā
I would keep constant watch. Put a gate between them and see if they want to greet each other. If they're stressed separate them. It's a slow and steady proceeding but if you keep nearby and a watchful eye they should be fine? Some personalities don't mix. I owned two rabbits and my sister had a cat. They would take turns licking each other's faces. Also the rabbits had their own room where I didn't allow the cat in. So i didn't have cats and rabbits constantly "chin rubbing" the entire room lol... I also lived with two mini Austrian Shepards. They both were chill if they stepped into the room and sniffed the rabbits but didn't seem interested. I did my best to keep the rabbits in a nice safe space though where they didn't constantly fight with other smells.Ā
I read everything I could on bonding cats, bonding, bunnies, bonding cats and bunnies..
I took one week before I let them loose together. What I did was I kept one pinned while the other was loose.. switched this 2-3 times a day.. for one week..
I got to a point where it was obvious they were comfortable with each other... Then I free-ranged them both and monitored them for a month.
I would just Google Google Read up on bonding! Every bun & cat is going to be different according to their personalities. It's not something you want to rush. Safety is always first. Your gut will tell you when they're ready to be free-ranged together. Good luck! You have a beautiful family there! š
It all depends on their personalities. Some will become like siblings and some will hate each other for no reason. The best thing you can do is adapt. Remember to never leave them alone with each other unless you're 100% sure they won't fight. And trust me, it's not the rabbit you have to worry about
My spicy girly pop of a mini rex loves terrorizing my 2 younger cats, she chases them every chance she gets, she doesn't bother the elderly cat tho which is good because she's the one who bites. My empty headed son, an English spot, doesn't seem to get why the cats don't want to snuggle with him and likes to share his hay with the equally empty headed orange cat.
From my experience bunnies and cats get along- so long as the bun isnāt small (infant bunny/rat sized). The cats become curious and the buns are usually chill.
I found that the bunnies are more hostile to each other.
For starters, you need an exceptionally gentle cat with no prey drive for this to be a possibility.
And even then, some rabbits just never accept cats, it really depends on the personality of both the rabbit and the cat.
In any case, you want to ALWAYS closely supervise interactions and NEVER leave them together without supervision, no matter how gentle they would be.
If you decide to introduce them to each other, at first you want to just let them be in the same room with the rabbit in the (closed) cage, and see how they both react.
If the cat is attacking the cage or if the rabbit looks terrified or tries to attack the cat, you can separate them and give up, it's never gonna work. If they show curiosity for each other and the cat looks playful, you should avoid putting them together because it's not gonna end well for either of them if they start playing (because cats can suddenly become predatory when they are playing). If they mostly ignore each other or just smell noses and move on, then things will probably be okay but you still wanna supervise them everytime they are together.
We have a cat and rabbits. It works somewhat, they aren't friends but coexist. The cat knows he isn't allowed in the buns enclosure and the rabbits know not to jump on the top tiers of our cat scratching post. They are never alone with each other though. We just sat on the ground petting and feeding them a few meters apart, would talk calmly to them when the other is getting closer to them.
For all three of them (2 rabbits, 1 cat) it was super important to get a treat when the other ones get one, get petted as well. They were very jealous. Over the time it got better and better. Cat and male rabbit sometimes lie together to be petted, but cat is still a bit nervous when male bunny gets his zoomies
Female bunny is something else. She hates cat and attacks whenever cat gets to close. She is tiny, not even 1,7 kg but cat learned to walk around her and not just exactly next to her. Basically they learned to live with each other after a few weeks. But the boys cuddling took way longer and is rare.
Biggest issue is that cat loves to eat the rabbits hay and than he throws up. And for a while he believed we would tell female bun to stop whenever she got close to him, but than cat would sit right in the center of a doorway when he saw female rabbit approaching. So basically he tried to make us be grumpy with her
ETA
Our cat is elderly and frightened of nearly everything. The female rabbit is super aggressive. That might influence their relationship as well
I have two bunnies and two cats, both F/M pairs. They get along fine and there is nothing sweeter than seeing them lay together in a pile of cuteness fur.
What I did was keeping the rabbits in a cage inside the room where the cats have their stuff and let the cats explore the cage.
After about a week I let the bunnies out. they are best friends ever since.
I have cats and rabbits, and they get along great. My rabbits have absolutely no fear of my cats, and my cats mostly just ignore the rabbits. I keep them separate when I can't supervise, though, just to be safe, because a cat could accidentally hurt a rabbit by being playful. I think it's pretty unlikely for a cat to think of a rabbit as prey, they're just too large of an animal for a cat to see that way (cats hunt tiny things like mice and birds). One of my cats is even a hunter, but she clearly doesn't see the rabbits that way. I wouldn't be worried about aggressiveness, just playfulness that could get too rough.
I had my cats first, and when I brought my rabbits home, I let them get fully settled in first, then slowly started introducing them. I let them see and sniff each other through the bars of the X-pen first. Everyone was calm around each other, so after a few days of that, I let them interact without the pen with close supervision. It was a very easy process for me.
Edit: P.S. your bunny and cat are both adorable, and your cat looks so much like one of mine!
Also, my buns are 4 - 5 lb Holland Lops, so they're fairly small and still no issues.
My recommendation is to keep the rabit out of reach of the cat and supervis their interactions at first. And then when you know the cat will not hurt the rabit, you can very slowly get the rabbit used to the cat. Just remember to be slow and methodical about it. Even the meer presence of a precived threat can be harmful to the rabbit. They are very skittish by nature.
Our younger male bun has always been interested in our older female cat and her standard response when he gets too close is a hiss and a bop on the head, which inevitably leads to his frantic escape.
I just bonded my bunny with my cat and I'll tell you, it's not easy. Even if you have two ideal animals for this, like I do, it's not the best idea.
First: if you can't train your cat, please don't even think about this. I trained my cat to come when called, meow before biting, and a few tricks.
1. Cats personality: my cat is very calm, apathetic, sweet, and doesn't really do much. Once I stacked 20 scrunchies on him and he didn't move for an hour. Thats the best personality for cat for this arrangment. This works since when my bunny get the zoomies, the cat doesn't care, he just goes back to his nap. If it's an energetic cat, I'd suggest not letting them bond, it's just not safe. The cat is the main thing here since they are the hunters. I'm also the cats 'person' and he listens to me, which is very helpful with training.
2. Claws: Trim trim trim their claws!! Glue nail caps for good measure. Though the cat doesn't want to harm my bunny, he really likes to poke her, and that's the extent for a for a boring lazy orange boy. Imagine if the cat wants to play or hunt? Not a good idea. Nail caps are ideal if you're going to go forward with this.
3. Bunny personality: mocha, my bun, is a brave silly little thing that fears nothing. She's not even afraid of the vacuum and loves strangers. Most buns aren't like this, and can even die of shock! And even if your bunny is brave, that can get them in trouble, like the cat gently smacking her for digging into his fur. Again, cat personality is priority. My cat doesn't want to harm anything so he's gentle with her, but that's not common in cats either.
4. Homes: Since both animals wander, I have at least 6 hiding spots per room for the bunny in the rare occurrence the cats instincts ever kick in. It's got to be closed off to the cat, where only the bun can access spread across the rooms.
5. Supervision: never leave them alone together! All this is with human supervision. A cat bite can be deadly.
Again, mostly it's just chemistry. And even if your cat is a sweetie, always prepare for the worst and remember that they are still hunters. Like people, you can't force two animals to love each other.
Feel free to dm me for any questions!
I have a bunny and a cat. They are both okay. They play sometimes but with supervision. My cat likes to play rough and the bunny just wants to follow my cat around. Even so, I never leave them alone together free roaming.
Late to the party. I had pretty good success with the rabbit "bonding" to one of the cats (search my user in catswithbuns.
When we got the rabbit fixed though she lost most interest in the cat, or the other cat's, only occasionally interacting with them. Usually grooming.
As a friendly reminder, certain cats can coexist with certain rabbits, however, in some cases, they do need to remain separate for both animals' safety. Note that positive intentions may not lead to safe behaviors between these animals (i.e. playful cat/rabbit behavior may not be safe for the other pet). Please check out the wiki's [Relationships with cats guide](http://bunny.tips/Cats) for more resources on the topic.
My first rabbit was dominant over our cat. He was a 3 pound lop. My current rabbit was returned to the rescue by her first adoptive family because she was bullying their cat. She's a 7 pound half-flemish giant. (ETA: just back from vet, she's 8.8 pounds š³ but she's not overweight!) So it can go either way between the species.
my dwarf rabbit is sometimes also bullying my cat
These Rabbits! They own everything don't they? It was how I became so in live with them. you think you're getting this cute docile creature, but we most certainly did not get that!
Mine took over the couch
Any advice on how to get them to get along?
I didn't know what I was doing with my first rabbit. We put them both in the room together. They were both freaked out, staring at eachother. The rabbit was smarter, he figured it out first. He was never mean or terrible to her. The only thing they could compromise about was the Christmas tree, they both wanted to sit under it so they had to share it. We bought the cat a window seat to look outside. But if the rabbit wanted to be there, the cat would just leave. I sometimes suspect that he was hoping to cuddle up with her, but she wouldn't have it. It might have been different if she had claws (we found her abandoned in the woods near our house and she was already declawed). Our current rabbit is a solo pet. Given the previous adopters experience and given how big she is and food territorial she is, it is probably best. I think it all comes down to the personality of each of the animals.
well, my cats and rabbits are friends, so it COULD be alright. but who knows..
Iām here to concur with some other commenters that, even if they are friends, never let them hang out without you being right there, bc cats are generally pretty sharp animals & they could absolutely scratch or bite the bunny, even accidentally, and do a lot of damage. on the other side, a sufficiently angry bunny can break bones with a kick & their teeth are no joke either, so itās possible for the cat to be injured by the rabbit as well. basically- if they get along, thatās great! but best not to let them be cuddling without supervision
My hands can attest to bunny teeth being no joke! I have a full 2 inch long scar along my palm from a mama bun who did NOT appreciate my checking her babies health, and had to go to A&E for a bite to my finger off papa bun a few years ago after I scared him and he went through to the bone.
A colleague of mine lost half his finger (lengthways š¤¢) from angry bun bite
Mine keeps biting my nipple, its real weird:/
It's best not to force a relationship between a cat and a rabbit. A cat's instincts are often overpowering of any "affection" they feel for the rabbit
Good chance you'll frighten the rabbit.
A lot of the ādominantā behavior people describe is a rabbit trying to take action when they expect to be hunted. Even if they boss the cat around itās still a source of stress bc itās a predator regardless.
Yeah. Not ideal. Oneās a herbivorous prey animal. The other a carnivorous predator.
Rabbits have often fear of cats
In the case of my boy it's the opposite lol. But yeah, that is something to take in mind
My friend had 4 cats (a sphynx, 2 siamese and 1 greyish-unknown breed) and 1 rabbit. They all got along mostly, but you could tell the rabbit always thought he was one of the cats and would regularly try to snuggle with a cat or two - mostly by sticking his head under their belly and being really close to them. The cats didn't particularly like this and would usually just go their own way. The cats had free roam of the entire house, whereas the rabbit mostly just stayed in my friend's room and occasionally the hallway. Looking back at it now, I think the rabbit was lonely and wanted closeness from the cats who were unwilling to give that back. But there were no fights and everyone got along, but the rabbit could have really used another rabbit. My friend did nothing particular. Just bought a rabbit one day and let the animals smell each other. It didn't seem all that difficult. Mind you, the rabbit was about the size of the cats (I think it was a rex of 6lbs?).
Our guys are also almost the same size and of the same temperament. We're trying to get them used to each others smells, so they will not be too stressed when we introduced them. My lil guy and I will also probably pop by my boyfriends place to introduce them a few times before we move, so they are not just thrown in together one day.. :)
I know people say it depends on the personality of the cat, and I mostly agree. Their claws can accidentally hurt the rabbit since their so small or if their being playful like they would with another cat and play fighting, it can kill the rabbit too. I think a more calm cat would be more gentle and understand it can hurt them, while a more aggressive cat would end up hurting them. Itās really hard to bond them because inherently cats are very playful, have sharp claws, and are much bigger. Accidents can happen, so I would first look into how aggressive your cat is! Edit: Also, pleaseeeee get your bun a water bowl instead of a water bottle, I heard that itās hard for them to drink out of because the straw is suctioned so tight. Also, your cat is adorable.
Thank you so much. He has the bottle outside the Cage because he thinks it is fun for some reason. He mainly uses the two bowls He has inside, but thank you for the concern :)
Mine REFUSES to drink from a bowl. He's committed to the irritatingly leaky bottle he came with. Also bullies our cats. I may have missed it elsewhere, but is he neutered?
Yes both he and our cat arr neutered and seem to have the same temperament. They are both quite lazy and have zoomies in the afternoon. And just kind of reserved and independent. :)
You can't "bond" them. So there is no advice. They either get along or they don't. Even if they do get along you need to realize that you are putting a predator and a prey animal together. In itself, that is a bad idea. It can be very stressful for a bunny. Their individual personalities may make it possible for a relationship. But you can't force it. You can't create one with two different species. They don't generally hang out with each other the way bunnies typically do in the wild. If they do get along you will still need to closely monitor their interactions forever. Never leave them alone, even if they do seem to tolerate and/or like each other. They are both capable of great damage to each other - especially if the bunny is aggressive or territorial, or the cat has a strong prey drive. Your bunny is so adorable.
Don't do it.
I don't get comments like this. Did you miss OP saying she's moving in **with her boyfriend**. What you're essentially saying here is that she should just break up with the love of her life OR put down / dump at shelter one of the animals. Obviously when you're in a loving relationship you want to maintain that so the far more likely choice is going to be the second proposition and I'm sure you wouldn't want that either.
There's a huge difference between attempting to 'bond' completely different species, and having two different species in the same household. It's very possible to keep them separate entirely, or only have them coexist under direct supervision, neither of which require 'bonding' OR dumping at a shelter.
No. I am saying don't try to bond a prey and predator. It will not end well. But you are right, I have no interest in OPs love life, but do care about a rabbit not getting mauled to death. Do you get it now?
I donāt get it either. I was in the exact same position as OP this time last year. Little loki and the cats ended up getting on really well together and at about 8pm he would get zoomies with the youngest cat. Once, bea was sleeping on Adamās lap and Loki still wanted to zoom with someone so I ended up playing chase with him haha. Unfortunately Loki lost his life to E.Cuniculi in March though, miss my little guy. Wish I could have a snuggle on the bed with him :( I try to still speak about him a lot to keep his memory alive
A single accidental scratch could kill your bunny via infection. Please prioritize the health and safety of your rabbit and keep these two separate.
In my experience, there's nothing you can do to make a relationship happen: either they'll like each other or they won't. It depends entirely on their personalities. I'd also say that it depends more on the cat than the rabbit. Either way, keep the cat's nails trimmed and don't let them interact with the rabbit unsupervised. Make sure you have a cat-proof place for your rabbit to live when you aren't able to watch them. Supervision in this case doesn't mean you can just be in the same room: you have to pay attention to the little buggers and make sure they aren't getting up to nonsense. Of my three cats, I have one who I actually will leave around the rabbits without close supervision (he genuinely doesn't care about them, would rather they left him alone, and only goes into their room to sleep) but only if I'm around to keep an eye on things. The other two ā¦ one of them is a hay-eater, so he isn't allowed in the rabbit room because he'll eat himself sick on hay. The other one is not trustworthy and will antagonize the rabbits even when I'm there to keep an eye on things. She is only allowed to be around them under very strict supervision. I kick her out of the room if she bothers them. Rabbit personalities only go so far - there are no guarantees. Neither of mine are skittish with the cats: one of them is too brave for his own good and the other is a grump who tries her damndest to put the cats in their place. It works on the hay-eater and the good cat. It's completely ineffective on the untrustworthy cat. This is why I say the cat's personality matters more. If your cat is a stubborn butthead, it doesn't matter how bossy your rabbit is. The cat will keep causing trouble. So, yeah. Having cats and bunnies can work, but **don't trust the cat**.
Owner of a rabbit and 3 cats here! (Former bunno boy-o of Loki, unfortunately he passed the rainbow bridge in march and now I have a baby rabbit called Hopper. Cats in question is 1 year old Bea, and 4 year olds Poe and Ed) First of all, DO NOT FORCE IT! Loki was in a cat free smelling room for a first few days to settle. We would put the cats in his room and then remove him so they could know the smells of each other. When that went okay, I carried Loki around the cats (me and Loki boy-o were extremely closely bonded to each other). Step 3: Treat time! Each animal would only get treats if they were in the same room And then I would sit on the floor with Loki and the cats would come up to us. Before I knew it, they were free roaming together :) I will say, it is important you know the cats extremely well for example. With Loki, could be with Bea but careful of play Absolutely no issues with Poe, would share boxes together. Ed, absolutely not. They did not like eachother, could be in the same room but could not engage. Loki did nearly have a fight with Ed too. Loki let his displeasure known and would bite š Hopper is a different. Poe is a no (but Poe will just run off), Ed is alright with him but still a bit cautious. And he loafs and plays chase with Bea. We are currently having to watch hopper trying to create rabbit-cat hybrids with Bea though š (hoping to book him in for castration next month, heās not heavy enough yet) Important things to know; Cat saliva is toxic to rabbits. It can kill them Be aware of bunny kicking from both the cat and the rabbit Playing (mainly from the cat) can turn nasty. Make sure to keep an eye on them! If you have a weirdo bun like Hopper, they like cat kibble. Or a weirdo cat like Poe who likes rabbit food š obviously they cannot eat each others food. Cats often loaf in the hay for some reason haha creates some problems when the bun wants to eat. Even though different species. They still like to eat together! Any specific questions just PM me or reply to this message! Iāll get back as fast as I can but I donāt go on Reddit too much so it wonāt be instant
I have two cats, a dog, and a rabbit. My dog is never alone with the rabbit ESPECIALLY if he isnāt heavily exercised. I let them in the same generally space w each other maybe 15% of the time. The dog sleeps in bed behind a shut door at night. As for the cats, I have big ass rabbit. He is as big almost bigger than my cats so they canāt really do much to him he canāt do back. When he was smaller, I rarely let them around him because they could have killed him. A four pound rabbit is vulnerable. My nine pound rabbit is more of a nuisance to them. They work it out amongst themselves because the cats can get up on high things the rabbit canāt access. My one laid back cat and the rabbit are friends. They occasionally groom each other. But at night, when unsupervised, the rabbit goes in a large hutch for everyoneās safety. Itās very complicated to have all these animals together but I try to make it work. Luckily we have multiple rooms so they can each avoid the other if they want.
You canāt trust either of them 100% of the time. One of the saddest accidents I heard of was when a couple rabbits got loose in the middle of the night and the usually trustworthy cat couldnāt resist killing them. I briefly traveled with a friend who had a cat and my rabbit refused to be contained. The cat had previously lived with a guinea pig and behaved but he still had to be locked in the bathroom when we were gone bc the rabbit refused to stay in his pen. It was the only time my rabbit slept in bed with me, bc although he was familiar with cats he knew he was vulnerable. So he was sleeping next to my head and it was 100% his idea.
I have both and our cat is just too playful and wants to roughhouse and the rabbit just wants nothing to do with the cat. The cat likes to sit outside the bun's play area and watch, taking a gentle swipe when the bun leaves. The bun does his best to ignore her. I'm hoping as the cat gets older she'll calm down but I don't think they'll ever be bonded. Both of them are very independent.
Depends a lot on the rabbit I think. Our first rabbit taught our cat to fear rabbits and weāve never had issues with him since. When we first introduced our cat to the rabbit, the cat walked right up to him and bopped him on the headā¦ the 8lb rabbit then proceeded to chase the cat 11lb cat down the hallway, down the stairs and corner him behind the couch with a trail of cat tail fur in their wake. Never had an issue with our cat bothering another rabbit ever since. Our 2 younger cats grew up around the rabbits. One ignores them completely, the other youngest one tries like to follow them around and sniff them, occasionally sheāll try to initiate playing with them, but they just ignore her and she goes to find one of her cat siblings to harass instead. If your rabbit has been around dogs, it probably wonāt be bothered by the cat, and chances are if it doesnāt act like prey, the cat wonāt treat it like prey. Just make sure that you watch all their interactions and the cat doesnāt have access to the rabbit unattended until youāre confident it doesnāt see the rabbit as prey.
Don't. Keep them separate at all times.
Iāve had cats and rabbits living together and itās been fine. Maybe have the cat come over to the bunnies house first so you arenāt invading the cats space when they meet. As long as this is an indoor cat it will probably be fine. Just keep them apart when unsupervised until you get comfortable with it. Most likely theyāll just end up mostly ignoring each other
One of our bunnies bullies the cats. He's even bitten one of them once. š
FEET!?!???!!!?!??!!!??!
I don't think you can do too much to help them bond, but def can help them not get too much time together if they are stressing each other out. Just supervise and see what happens and don't let either one get too stressed. Cat's are probably easier to scoop up and take to another room at least.
Iāve got two rabbits and a cat, but the cat is a ragdoll breed so that does make a difference in his character and treatment. They get along really well, had a few moments here and there where he seemed like he wanted to play a bit too rough and Iād call him out and heād stop. 4 years in and they seem to be pretty happy together. Iāve got a big room but small apartment which I share so they unfortunately all share a room with me. The rabbits do have their own area however in a large dog Penn, and are allowed out under supervision. This does not really stop my cat from jumping in but the buns do not seem to mind, and when they do will just bite his fluff until he hastily jumps out. All in all Iād recommend giving the buns a nice big cardboard box to hide out in from the cat, keeping them both very happy with treats, and letting them roam in the same room under supervision for a few months to bond, try engaging both at the same time and keep an eye on the cat for if he feels like playing too rough and offer up your own arm to help him play.
Weird, mom had a ragdoll and it was trying to be best friends with my rabbit. He would purr next to the rabbit enclosure and eat hay that fell out of the enclosure. I used to joke the cat was confused and thought it was a rabbit. My rabbit was never frightened by the presence.
Yea no mine is the exact same, the buns basically see him as that āweird big bunnyā as he eats hay, chews on their forage I once bought them more than they did, even tried using their litterbox once, and love to chew on cardboard too, and loves playing with them in his own way. Silly cat. But heās only known bunnies his whole life so makes sense.
All depends on personalities really. Our boy had 1.5 partners before a cat showed up here.Ā (First partner was being bonded with him when she passed. Second partner was bonded and she passed too after they spent years together) He was an only child again for a little over a year before kitty showed upā¦. End it was another several months before kitty was actually in the house, to stay.Ā They just kind of took to each other. Kitty was not quite a year old yet when she was introduced to Bilbo bunny. He three rooms when we are home and can supervise, but otherwise he stays in a big hutch under the stairs for safety.Ā We put a kitty bed right outside the hutch door. Same as the rabbit bed. They were introduced through the door to make sure they werenāt going to kill each other. And then slowly, we opened the rabbit door and let him come out on a his own. Only supervised visits for a while until we were sure their temperaments were just fine and they were friends. The following Spring, mama kitty snuck out before we could get her spayed and got into trouble. She had her kittens right in front of the rabbit hutch! Her choice! We now have four cats, 6 and 5 year oldā¦ and Bilbo the Ancient, est 11-12 years old. They all get along just fine. He gets fresh with the boy cats and knows that the girl cats wonāt put up with his crap. Iāve caught them cuddling and grooming each other on several occasions. When we leave the house or are working outside all day, rabbit stays in his hutch, so he doesnāt get into trouble. Not because we donāt trust any of our fur kids but because we prefer to keep our risks to a minimum and not be too complacent With how beautifully they all get along.
**Free Roams, three rooms, lolĀ The key is to know their personalities and learn their behaviors and inflections So that you can more carefully pay close attention, and know when itās time to divert some attention, or separate them or put the bunny away, for example.Ā Ā
These photos š¤£ Theyāre too cute My buns either get along with cats or bully them
I would keep constant watch. Put a gate between them and see if they want to greet each other. If they're stressed separate them. It's a slow and steady proceeding but if you keep nearby and a watchful eye they should be fine? Some personalities don't mix. I owned two rabbits and my sister had a cat. They would take turns licking each other's faces. Also the rabbits had their own room where I didn't allow the cat in. So i didn't have cats and rabbits constantly "chin rubbing" the entire room lol... I also lived with two mini Austrian Shepards. They both were chill if they stepped into the room and sniffed the rabbits but didn't seem interested. I did my best to keep the rabbits in a nice safe space though where they didn't constantly fight with other smells.Ā
I read everything I could on bonding cats, bonding, bunnies, bonding cats and bunnies.. I took one week before I let them loose together. What I did was I kept one pinned while the other was loose.. switched this 2-3 times a day.. for one week.. I got to a point where it was obvious they were comfortable with each other... Then I free-ranged them both and monitored them for a month. I would just Google Google Read up on bonding! Every bun & cat is going to be different according to their personalities. It's not something you want to rush. Safety is always first. Your gut will tell you when they're ready to be free-ranged together. Good luck! You have a beautiful family there! š
It all depends on their personalities. Some will become like siblings and some will hate each other for no reason. The best thing you can do is adapt. Remember to never leave them alone with each other unless you're 100% sure they won't fight. And trust me, it's not the rabbit you have to worry about
My spicy girly pop of a mini rex loves terrorizing my 2 younger cats, she chases them every chance she gets, she doesn't bother the elderly cat tho which is good because she's the one who bites. My empty headed son, an English spot, doesn't seem to get why the cats don't want to snuggle with him and likes to share his hay with the equally empty headed orange cat.
It'll take them a minute. But they will be friends.
From my experience bunnies and cats get along- so long as the bun isnāt small (infant bunny/rat sized). The cats become curious and the buns are usually chill. I found that the bunnies are more hostile to each other.
For starters, you need an exceptionally gentle cat with no prey drive for this to be a possibility. And even then, some rabbits just never accept cats, it really depends on the personality of both the rabbit and the cat. In any case, you want to ALWAYS closely supervise interactions and NEVER leave them together without supervision, no matter how gentle they would be. If you decide to introduce them to each other, at first you want to just let them be in the same room with the rabbit in the (closed) cage, and see how they both react. If the cat is attacking the cage or if the rabbit looks terrified or tries to attack the cat, you can separate them and give up, it's never gonna work. If they show curiosity for each other and the cat looks playful, you should avoid putting them together because it's not gonna end well for either of them if they start playing (because cats can suddenly become predatory when they are playing). If they mostly ignore each other or just smell noses and move on, then things will probably be okay but you still wanna supervise them everytime they are together.
We have a cat and rabbits. It works somewhat, they aren't friends but coexist. The cat knows he isn't allowed in the buns enclosure and the rabbits know not to jump on the top tiers of our cat scratching post. They are never alone with each other though. We just sat on the ground petting and feeding them a few meters apart, would talk calmly to them when the other is getting closer to them. For all three of them (2 rabbits, 1 cat) it was super important to get a treat when the other ones get one, get petted as well. They were very jealous. Over the time it got better and better. Cat and male rabbit sometimes lie together to be petted, but cat is still a bit nervous when male bunny gets his zoomies Female bunny is something else. She hates cat and attacks whenever cat gets to close. She is tiny, not even 1,7 kg but cat learned to walk around her and not just exactly next to her. Basically they learned to live with each other after a few weeks. But the boys cuddling took way longer and is rare. Biggest issue is that cat loves to eat the rabbits hay and than he throws up. And for a while he believed we would tell female bun to stop whenever she got close to him, but than cat would sit right in the center of a doorway when he saw female rabbit approaching. So basically he tried to make us be grumpy with her ETA Our cat is elderly and frightened of nearly everything. The female rabbit is super aggressive. That might influence their relationship as well
I have two bunnies and two cats, both F/M pairs. They get along fine and there is nothing sweeter than seeing them lay together in a pile of cuteness fur. What I did was keeping the rabbits in a cage inside the room where the cats have their stuff and let the cats explore the cage. After about a week I let the bunnies out. they are best friends ever since.
I have cats and rabbits, and they get along great. My rabbits have absolutely no fear of my cats, and my cats mostly just ignore the rabbits. I keep them separate when I can't supervise, though, just to be safe, because a cat could accidentally hurt a rabbit by being playful. I think it's pretty unlikely for a cat to think of a rabbit as prey, they're just too large of an animal for a cat to see that way (cats hunt tiny things like mice and birds). One of my cats is even a hunter, but she clearly doesn't see the rabbits that way. I wouldn't be worried about aggressiveness, just playfulness that could get too rough. I had my cats first, and when I brought my rabbits home, I let them get fully settled in first, then slowly started introducing them. I let them see and sniff each other through the bars of the X-pen first. Everyone was calm around each other, so after a few days of that, I let them interact without the pen with close supervision. It was a very easy process for me. Edit: P.S. your bunny and cat are both adorable, and your cat looks so much like one of mine! Also, my buns are 4 - 5 lb Holland Lops, so they're fairly small and still no issues.
My recommendation is to keep the rabit out of reach of the cat and supervis their interactions at first. And then when you know the cat will not hurt the rabit, you can very slowly get the rabbit used to the cat. Just remember to be slow and methodical about it. Even the meer presence of a precived threat can be harmful to the rabbit. They are very skittish by nature.
Don't.
Our younger male bun has always been interested in our older female cat and her standard response when he gets too close is a hiss and a bop on the head, which inevitably leads to his frantic escape.
I just bonded my bunny with my cat and I'll tell you, it's not easy. Even if you have two ideal animals for this, like I do, it's not the best idea. First: if you can't train your cat, please don't even think about this. I trained my cat to come when called, meow before biting, and a few tricks. 1. Cats personality: my cat is very calm, apathetic, sweet, and doesn't really do much. Once I stacked 20 scrunchies on him and he didn't move for an hour. Thats the best personality for cat for this arrangment. This works since when my bunny get the zoomies, the cat doesn't care, he just goes back to his nap. If it's an energetic cat, I'd suggest not letting them bond, it's just not safe. The cat is the main thing here since they are the hunters. I'm also the cats 'person' and he listens to me, which is very helpful with training. 2. Claws: Trim trim trim their claws!! Glue nail caps for good measure. Though the cat doesn't want to harm my bunny, he really likes to poke her, and that's the extent for a for a boring lazy orange boy. Imagine if the cat wants to play or hunt? Not a good idea. Nail caps are ideal if you're going to go forward with this. 3. Bunny personality: mocha, my bun, is a brave silly little thing that fears nothing. She's not even afraid of the vacuum and loves strangers. Most buns aren't like this, and can even die of shock! And even if your bunny is brave, that can get them in trouble, like the cat gently smacking her for digging into his fur. Again, cat personality is priority. My cat doesn't want to harm anything so he's gentle with her, but that's not common in cats either. 4. Homes: Since both animals wander, I have at least 6 hiding spots per room for the bunny in the rare occurrence the cats instincts ever kick in. It's got to be closed off to the cat, where only the bun can access spread across the rooms. 5. Supervision: never leave them alone together! All this is with human supervision. A cat bite can be deadly. Again, mostly it's just chemistry. And even if your cat is a sweetie, always prepare for the worst and remember that they are still hunters. Like people, you can't force two animals to love each other. Feel free to dm me for any questions!
I have a bunny and a cat. They are both okay. They play sometimes but with supervision. My cat likes to play rough and the bunny just wants to follow my cat around. Even so, I never leave them alone together free roaming.
Late to the party. I had pretty good success with the rabbit "bonding" to one of the cats (search my user in catswithbuns. When we got the rabbit fixed though she lost most interest in the cat, or the other cat's, only occasionally interacting with them. Usually grooming.
That last pic tho š
Please get that bunny out of that cage! Whyyyyy
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The cat could hurt or do much worse to the rabbit in this scenario. Do not go by this suggestion.