Introduction
It may be challenging to believe bunnies and cats can get along until you give it a try to keep the two pets at home. Finding the two animals to groom or play together can be challenging for most people who keep them. However, the reality between the two animals is that they can make excellent companions. This is due to the social nature experience by them when they live together. When the cats and the bunnies are comfortable with each other, they can become friends and come along.
It always takes time for the two pets to feel comfortable with each other. For instance, rabbits do tend to be more afraid of a kitten. In nature, rabbits are always known to be very confrontational animals and may aggressively react to the cats when they start feeling comfortable with them.
So, if you want to see the friendship between the two pets, you must first ensure that your kitten is confident and comfortable with your home. You can then introduce the kitten to the bunnies until they get along.
This might take time, for rabbits are also one of the animals that value their territory a lot. This will force you to introduce the two animals to each other in neutral territory. This may involve using a room that both the animals have never visited. It may take some days or even a week to make the two animals get used to each other when put together.
You can initially consider putting the two animals in a cage. This will prevent the two animals from being exposed to scratches or facing some bites. You also need to supervise the animals in the initial meetings until you witness stable comfort.
When you remove the two animals from the cages, ensure you put them together in a safer place for the first few days. Consider putting them together but in a place where each has somewhere to hide nearby. For instance, you can use a basket or cage for the rabbit to help the pet hide in case they misunderstand.
You still need to separate the two animals if you want to vacate the room or excuse yourself from the room for any personal reason. Even if it takes the two animals a couple of weeks to be entirely comfortable with each other, only leave them together once you are sure of their comfort.
Things You Need To Know When Keeping Both Cats And Bunnies Together
When you are sure of the comfortability of your kitten and bunny, there are other essential things you need to learn. First, when your cat is comfortable living with your house rabbit, the kitten will only spare the indoor rabbit he is familiar with. The cat will still chase and stalk other outdoor rabbits without considering the friendship.
This means that the cat will only be familiar with and get along with the rabbit they are trained to be comfortable with. For this reason, if you want to make the kitten friends with all the rabbits you keep at home, make them all comfortable at once.
On the other hand, the cat will still recognize the rabbit he formed friends with and get along with even when they meet outdoors. Remember, rabbits are also very territorial and love to protect their territory. They will always sacrifice themselves to defend their territory. This can make them attack the kitten and cause some injuries.
For this reason, the kitten will only spare the rabbit they are familiar with. Putting the animals together for a longer time may also be very stressful. This prolonged stress can make pets suffer from different health problems. Therefore, you need to allow the pets to roam within the compound to reduce stress and fatigue. You also need to be around monitoring the movements and interactions of the two animals every time you allow them to move together.
In the case of the rabbit, the best way to live with the pet safe is to put them in a cage or hutch for most of the day. You will then have to set times to give the pet a break to do some exercises. This will be considered an exercise session suitable for the rabbit.
The cat, too, requires a break even if you put the pet inside a cage for most of the day. In most cases, the rabbit will prefer having an exercise session in a separate room. It is not recommended to allow the cat access to the place. This may make the rabbit trigger the cat’s behavior. In addition, the pet may interfere with the cat’s prey or stalk.
On the other hand, the rabbit will not feel happy when the cat invades its territory. These scenarios may lead to disagreements between the two pets and make them fight each other. Therefore, the best time to introduce the two animals is when the cat is sleepy. You can also do the introduction when the cat is full after eating well.
The cat will not likely get involved in chasing the rabbit at such a time. The cat will seemingly feel tired and less harmful. As for the rabbit, if the place is not part of its territory, the pet will feel comfortable interacting with the kitten. Because other physical and social dynamics limit the two animals from being comfortable with each other, there must be steps you must use to introduce them safely. Here are detailed explanations of the steps you need to follow.
The Steps To Follow When Introducing Cats and Bunnies To Get Along
Step 1: Identify a Neutral space
A neutral place may be a room in your house that the rabbit or the cat has never visited. This means that the pet has yet to make the area a territory. When looking at the space, ensure it is free from the scent of any of the two animals.
Step 2: Ensure the rabbit is fully secured in a safe Enclosure
Make the rabbit safe and secure during the entire introduction time. Consider using a rabbit cage that has a hiding space fitted in it. This purpose is only to allow the two animals to have visual access. They should not interact with each other during introduction times, especially on the initial day of the introduction.
Monitor the reactions of the two animals focusing on their behavior and reaction against each other. You can move to the next step when there is no negative behavior, such as flight reaction or turtle.
Step 3: Move the Cages of the Two animals close to each other
Remember, this stage is only safe If the cat has no intention of chasing the rabbit. This might be the case when the kitten is whole from eating or tirelessly sleepy. However, if you note any rise in predatory behavior in cats, you need to remove the kitten from the place immediately.
Step 4: Allow the animals to interact with each other
When you observe that everything is in order, allow the two animals to interact with each other for about no hour or more. Monitor if the rabbit and cat are developing any positive association in their interaction. Continue observing the two animals for several days until they entirely become comfortable with one another.
This may take days or a couple of weeks, depending on how the two animals will react to each other. Keep on checking on the rabbit and the cat indoors for the entire introduction session. Like any other animal introduction, your presence, adjustments, consistency, and patience will always count toward success.
Apart from learning how to introduce cats and bunnies together to get along, there are also many pet care practices and basics you need to research and learn. The basics will help you know how to handle the pets at home when you are keeping them. For instance, when you know how to manage pets at home, learning how to introduce cats and rabbits may not be a challenge to you as in the case of a beginner.
Please visit our official website to learn the various basics of keeping pets we have prepared for you on the platform. You can also consider consulting a vet before deciding what kind of pet you want to keep. The vet will advise you on the health care of different pets and how to keep them. You will, therefore, analyze the characteristics and the healthcare challenges you have learned in pets from the vet to help you choose your preferred one.
Final Thoughts
If introduced properly, cats and bunnies can get along at home without any of the pets causing trouble to the other. But still, you need to know that rabbits are prey while cats are predators. When the cat has its predatory character rising to a higher limit, introducing the rabbit to a cat will put the prey’s life in danger. Therefore, you must learn how to introduce the two animals to achieve successful comfortability.
Keep an eye on your cat and bunny and ensure they both know how much you care. That’s the formula for a peaceful and productive relationship. Also, not all of your pets have to get along. The fact that a bunny and a cat can get along without fighting is a huge win for everyone involved.
