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#1
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Cats & Rabbits (?)
I have a wonderful potential adoptee for one of our cats. However, she has a very tame 3-yr old dwarf rabbit that is loose in the apartment when she is at home (it is caged when she is out). As I have no idea re cats/rabbits, I told her to check with a veterinarian as to the feasibility of the two species co-existing without bloodshed. Does anyone know if this would be possible? The cat she is looking to adopt is 2-3 yrs old, an affectionate laid-back male (neutered and declawed in front). He doesn't like other cats, but tolerates small dogs (unless the dog antagonizes him).
Any ideas???
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SOS MIOW |
#2
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A co-worker of mine has a dog 2 cats and a rabbit running freely through her home, and all get along really well.
But I don't know, I guess maybe a visit by the cat to this home to see how things work out would be best, I would also never leave the 2 alone together . I fostered 2 guinea pigs, and our cat at the time just adored them, he would sit in their enclosure and clean them (But I still would not leave them alone together when I wasn't home)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is man without beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected. ~~Chief Seattle (Duwamish tribe)~~ |
#3
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Honestly, I'm leery of keeping different species of animals together unsupervised. Everything may be fine for 10 years, but it only takes one mistake to have a tragedy happen. And that could go either way.
The rabbit that I had the pleasure of living with had horrifically powerful back feet, and I still have scars from her temper tantrums, so I'd hate to think of what those feet could do to a cat. Everyone says I'm paranoid, but I'd rather be paranoid and be safe than take chances and have a tragedy happen.
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Clover, Australian Shepherd Mutt Loki, Shorthair Catbrat Gizmo and Mogwai, Guinea Pigs Tailchaser and Scuffledig, Gerbils |
#4
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Our cat tigger would happily tear the head off of a bunny in a heartbeat. He was the most docile cat I have ever met. He could not catch a bird to save his life, never harmed any of our baby chicks in the barn but had a weird obsession with rabbits. He quickly rid our back pasture of all inhabitants. I would be very careful about trying it and make sure the lady understands that the bunny must be watched at all times when the cat is around it. Also, the cat should have no access to the bunny when she is out. Caged or not, cats are smart creatures.
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"For every animal that dies in a shelter, there is someone somewhere responsible for its death". |
#5
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Cats can often get along very well with both rabbits and guinea pigs, but it greatly depends on the cat.
I"ve had cats who would be afraid of a rabbit hopping around, and had others who would dispatch it instantly. No matter how well they get along, cats and prey animals should never be left alone. One bite from a cat can be deadly to most small animals because of the bacteria. Not trying to be sarcastic, but a vet is the last person I would ask about this. |
#6
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my cats would kill a rabbit.
however my cats seem to be hunters by nature, they stalk their toys and have very little problem putting the dog in his place. I could never get a rodent type animal of any sort, my cats would just end up with a meal out of it. Eleni
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"I used to look at [my dog] Smokey and think, 'If you were a little smarter you could tell me what you were thinking,' and he'd look at me like he was saying, 'If you were a little smarter, I wouldn't have to.'" - Fred Jungclaus |
#7
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Consensus
Thanks for all your inputs. I guess there's no hard and fast rule about cats and rabbits. Perhaps an in-house introduction may give us a clue as to how the relationship will work (i.e., if too much interest is shown by the cat ... ). Again, thank you all for your comments.
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SOS MIOW |
#8
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I have had a bunny and a cat at the same time but yes, it VERY much depends on the cat!! If the bunny is the first pet and the cat comes in later, that is usuallu the ideal but a sweetheart kind of cat will also manage to do well.
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#9
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Adopted!
My sweet boy, Jet, has now been adopted by the nice young lady with the rabbit. I am anxious to see how things go when the two meet. Will let everyone know. Thanks again for all your input. By the way, Lucky, her vet pretty well agreed with what everyone was saying .... "it depends on the cat".
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SOS MIOW |
#10
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Update on Adoption
Cat and rabbit are doing fine. They have sniffed each other, nose-to-nose, and don't seem to have a problem. The rabbit is more interested in the cat than the cat is in the rabbit.
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SOS MIOW |
#11
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Update
I spoke to Jet's adoptor and she told me that the rabbit is comopletely smitten with the cat ..... when the cat curls up on the floor, the rabbit starts licking the cat's head. Sounds like a match!
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SOS MIOW |
#12
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Sounds like the bunny's in love. :love: Glad to hear that Jet found a good home.
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Egyptian Mau Family - 2 Sisters & 1 Brother Angelique Caesar Sable |
#13
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how sweet, I hope those 2 live a long and happy life together
perhaps a bunny/kitty wedding is in order :P hehe Eleni
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"I used to look at [my dog] Smokey and think, 'If you were a little smarter you could tell me what you were thinking,' and he'd look at me like he was saying, 'If you were a little smarter, I wouldn't have to.'" - Fred Jungclaus |
#14
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I agree it totally depends on the cat. I use to have a cat that I would let run lose with my rabbits all the time he never would hurt anything just not in his nature. The 10 year old cat i have now however cleared my yard of all rabbits and he even killed a weasel that he caught eating a rabbit. (Not sure what happened but we found a dead rabbit with puncture marks in its head then a dead weasel in my cats mouth. Anyways He is a dream come true we raise birds here and often get mice rats and other small pests comming in. Sometimes Our cat gets them sometimes we do. But other then his prey drive towards other animal hes the best family pet we could ever dream about. ITs almost as if he understands english LOL If anyone here knows of good hunting/family pet cats let me know. THnx
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