I have two cats and a rabbit that is free to roam the house. The cats seem to be frightened of the rabbit and he certainly charges at them and makes them jump out of the way. Has anyone else had cats and rabbits living amicably - or had cats that have eaten their rabbit when left alone? This is what I am afraid of. Any experiences gratefully received.
2006-12-11 09:04:23 · 16 answers · asked by Older&Wiser 5 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Cats 6 years old. Rabbit old but fit.
2006-12-11 09:10:05 · update #1
I doubt they'll get along. They're natural enemies, but on enough of an equal footing to do serious damage to each-other.
They each need a shelter that the other one can't access: The cat can have a cat tree, so you don't have to chase him off your furniture all the time, and the rabbit can have two sturdy boxes with a hole in one side just big enough for him to fit into. (Two boxes so that if the cat, for some crazy reason, goes to sleep in one box, the rabbit can have the other.)
This way they each have their own "fortress," and any violence won't last very long before one of them goes and hides.
2006-12-11 11:56:23 · answer #1 · answered by Rachel R 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hi I will try to answer you thebest I can I have 7 rabbits and im a rabbit breeder. The problem is not with the cats a rabbit will kill a cat the first thing for me to help you is how old is the rabbit. you can mix cats even dogs with rabbits but this has to be done very carefuly try putting the rabbit in a run in your house and letting all the animals get used to each other that way this will let each of your pets get the sent of the other pet this will take some time not just a few days. the other way you will find is try doing this in a neutral area where there is no territory for either of your pets. for me to help you more with this please e male me at garybobbs@aol.com as this is hard thing to do but can be done with some time i now someone that there rabbit lives in a kennal in the garden with the dog and they get on fine. i hope to here from you soon to help you some more regards gary
2006-12-12 06:13:53 · answer #2 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok... if the cats are jumping out of the way for the rabbit then I think they will be all be fine. The rabbit is showing its dominance towards the cats, which is a good sign. Just keep an eye on them. I had a house rabbit that used to kick the cat out of the litter box. If he is acting this way and the cats are acting that way then I don't see a problem. Just enjoy the comedy.
2006-12-11 11:22:32 · answer #3 · answered by Tina 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We had a cat and a rabbit together (the rabbit was free to roam the house) - the cat was female & the rabbit male. He was too young at the time to be nuetered & tried to get it on with the cat (the cat was 4 yrs old). The cat scratched the rabbit & caused a huge cyst to form under his skin. He was in surgery for four hours and luckily survived. The vet said cat scratches are very harmful to rabbits & can be deadly, so I'd just be very careful of that.
2006-12-11 09:12:43 · answer #4 · answered by lv 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard of a cat eating a rabbit rabbits are very strong when they kick with they're back legs as long as the cats do not spat at the rabbit they should fine i would most worried about the cats since a rabbit could hurt them but not kill them
2006-12-11 10:32:50 · answer #5 · answered by Jessica B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not trying to scare you ,but i`ve seen alot of cats where i work go after rabbits,i suppose as the other guy said if the cat has been around the rabbit since an early age,it wouldn`t know any different
2006-12-11 09:11:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
wouldn't leave them alone together but if you are there with them to supervise it may not be a problem. Cats have been known to kill rabbits but that doesnt apply to every cat or rabbit so you are best to take it slowly & carefully & see how it goes. I had a dog that looked after the kittens when the mum went to have a feed so i guess it really does depend on the individual animals. As long as you are aware that you have to be careful thats the main thing
2006-12-12 02:02:05 · answer #7 · answered by la.bruja0805 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats generally eat rabbits. I just would be careful. Our cat would probably pounce on our old rabbit so when he has a run I leave the cat inside fo the sake of safety.Cats have predatory instincts.Perhaps you do not have that problem.
2006-12-11 09:09:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have kept cats and rabbits together but usually had to supervise them. One rabbit certainly bullied the cats.
Another rather sad time was when one of my cats sneekily unlocked the rabbits cage, let it out and chased it round until it broke its back.
She didn't eat it but the rabbit had to be put to sleep.
I think it's much better if they've been kept together since they were both babies though
2006-12-11 09:09:37 · answer #9 · answered by delphi13 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to let my rabbit run around the house with a cat around too. The cat thought it was his mother and tried to get milk from it, which the rabbit didn't care...wierd...
Though the cat was somewhat docile.
2006-12-11 09:07:16 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋