Rabbits & Cats: Advice from the House Rabbit Society

This article was written by the HRS Licensed Educator who inspired me to create this blog in the first place, Amy Ramnaraine. It first appeared on rabbit.org, and is reprinted here with her permission. Enjoy!

Indoor house cats typically will peacefully coexist with pet rabbits if given proper introductions and supervision. Some even develop close friendships.

Exercise caution during introductions. If kitty is aggressive or rabbit is scared, stop the interaction. A majority of rabbit and cat introductions don’t run into any major issues.

Start with bunny in a large cage, one with bars too small for the cat to reach in. Bunny should have room to run around and stand up – movements kitty needs to become accustomed to. Provide a cardboard hidey box inside the cage so bunny can feel safe inside. When both are comfortable with each other’s movements and smells (this can take days, weeks or months), move forward with your introductions. Hold kitty on your lap and let bunny investigate at his own pace. Continue short sessions until everyone is feeling comfortable and peaceful together. If bunny is new in your home, don’t begin introductions until she is feeling confident and comfortable in her new environment.

Don’t be surprised if bunny is the dominant personality in the relationship. Rabbits can be bossy and territorial, sometimes causing a wary, defensive reaction from kitty. Ideally, kitty will leave if the bunny is being too bossy but watch out for defensive swipes — this is the most common way for a rabbit to be injured by a cat companion. Provide a safe place of retreat for each animal. A cat tree for kitty and a wooden hidey box for bunny work great.

Cat claws and mouths carry harmful bacteria. Even a playful swat or love bite to your rabbit can cause a serious abscess (infection). Trim claws monthly. Consider using claw covers.

Don’t use clumping cat litter. Clumping cat litter is dangerous to rabbits, as they are likely to ingest it and cause a deadly intestinal blockage.

Keeping a high-prey-drive cat or dog separated from a pet rabbit is critical but difficult and dangerous. A split-second accident can be fatal for the rabbit. If you think a cat or dog is not trustworthy with a small animal trust your gut. Trying to keep them forever separated in the same home is incredibly high risk, and this approach has failed many times.

By Amy Ramnaraine, House Rabbit Society Licensed Educator, MN

Sometimes It's Easy

A reader just sent in this story. It's not the typical scenario, but proves that sometimes inter-species bonds come easy, especially if one of your pets is young when you introduce them ...

"I am sure I am just lucky, and the occurrences in my studio apartment should have taken much longer. However, my family started with my boyfriend, myself, and a rescued cat named Lexi. It soon expanded to include a puppy (pit bull mix, now 8 months old). Later came 2 kittens (about a month ago) and then I adopted a flemish giant for my 5th grade class pet (I am a new teacher). Long story short, the bunny was accustomed to roaming as he pleased and using a litter box. That is the way it was for him in my class (I have very careful, well behaved students) until administration said he had to be caged. I knew he would be miserable, so I brought him home until I was able to find a new home for him. That was yesterday. As soon as he came home, I opened his kennel (the dog was at day care, only cats were home) and one kitten crawled in and laid beside the bunny and fell asleep. Later they both woke up, and the bunny came out the explore. The other kitten fell in love with him, and the adult cat really just couldn't care less about his presence. She ignores him. I was nervous about bringing the dog home, but it was nothing to be worried about. I came inside (with puppy on leash), and the bunny hopped right over to the puppy. She backed up and laid down. The bunny continued to approach her, and climbed on her and smelled all over. She stood up and sniffed and licked the bunny all over. Although I have not let them alone unsupervised, I am not worried at all. They are like best friends! At this moment the puppy, one kitten and the bunny are all curled up asleep! I am so pleased this is all working out, but still looking forward to a larger place!"

Tough Bun

So, I often hear pet owners concerned about how their housecat is going to attack their rabbit if they ever meet. They're a bit disbelieving when I tell the story about how Henry the hugely overweight cat met my little 2-lb dwarf bunny Chimi, and turned tail and fled the second she twitched an ear. But really, rabbits have claws and big pointy teeth and attitude, and most of them are about the same size as a cat pound for pound (cats just have more fur) ... they CAN defend themselves, and are often the dominant animal in cat-rabbit pairings, especially if the cat doesn't get outside a lot. Don't believe me? Check out this video:

Online Resources

One of the reasons I created this blog was because there aren't a lot of online sources talking about bonding and living with cats and rabbits together. So, here are listed some of the best ones I could find. If you know of others, please post them in the comments.

Cats and Rabbits - An article on the House Rabbit Society webpage, which is full of other useful rabbit info.

Buddies for Your Bunny - A quick overview on bonding rabbits with cats is included in this article.

How to Introduce Rabbits to Other Pets - The basic, stripped-down steps from eHow.com

What do cats and rabbits have in common? - A quick list of similarities for those who don't know what to expect.

How are Rabbits Different from Cats & Dogs? - An overview from the Sacramento House Rabbit Society.

Is it bad for my bunny to snack on dog or cat food? - Answer from a vet on VeterinaryPartner.com's Q&A

What types of litter should I use? - Why using clumping and clay cat litter could be DEADLY for your rabbit!

Rabbit Litter - More on how cat litter is a really bad idea for rabbits. Scroll down quite a bit to find this section.

FAQ: Housing - Rabbits don't have pads on their paws like cats, so the wire flooring in a cage can cut through a rabbit's feet! Learn more in this article on housing from the House Rabbit Society.

Choosing a Rabbit-Savvy Vet

One of the most important things you can do for your pet rabbit is to choose a rabbit-savvy vet. Especially if you already have a vet for your cat or dog, don't just assume your rabbit will be fine seeing him, too. "But my vet SAYS he sees rabbits!" you say? Still, be cautious, and take my story as a warning ...

I spoiled my first bunny Loki like you wouldn't believe. He actually refused to eat veggies, since he was so used to getting crackers as treats almost every day (the equivalent of a Big Mac for a bunny!). He was seriously overweight (okay, obese). Then one day he stopped eating. He droppings were tiny, and he didn't want to come out of his cage at night. Since I didn't have a vet already, I took him to the vet that my brother-in-law used for his cat. I told the vet that he'd lost a LOT of weight, probably half his body weight, and wouldn't eat. She said that it was probably just because he was lonely because I'd been gone for a few weeks for summer school. He died in less than a week, from the most common killer of pet rabbits: GI Stasis.

A rabbit-savvy vet would have recognized the symptoms immediately. But your typical cat or dog vet wouldn't necessarily, because rabbits are "exotics" with a very different metabolism. Be sure the vet you choose specializes in rabbits.

So, how do you find a specialist rabbit vet? Don't wait until you have an emergency; instead, call around to a variety of vets and ask who they refer their clients to for serious rabbit cases. Then, don't just ask if they'll see rabbits since many will say "yes," meaning "yes, I'd like to have your business" rather than "yes, I'm specially trained in rabbit care." Ask the "trick" rabbit questions ...

• Ask how many rabbit clients they currently have.

• How many rabbits has the vet has spayed/neutered and the success rate (the loss rate should be almost none ... 99.5% is average success rate for specialists).

• Does the vet withhold food and water prior to surgery in rabbits? (The right answer is no. Rabbits can't vomit, so there's no risk of that during surgery, and rabbits should never be allowed to have empty digestive tracts because of the risk of GI Stasis.)

• Ask if they know which antibiotics are dangerous for rabbits (amoxicillin and most of the "...cillin" drugs like penicillin).

• What's the best way to prevent hairballs? (Answer: Provide your rabbit with hay every day, preferably 24 hours a day. Provide daily exercise and brush frequently.)

• You might also want to ask which conferences they've attended lately that had talks about rabbit medicine and what journals they read. You want your vet to be up on the latest in rabbit treatment.

You can find these and other questions on the House Rabbit Society's FAQ on finding a good vet and questions to ask before spaying/neutering . The HRS also keeps a recommended vets list that might be helpful, and your local rabbit rescue group likely keeps a similar list.

Finding a rabbit-savvy vet is worth the effort. I drive an hour across the city to get to mine, but I rest easy knowing that my bunnies get the best care possible. After all, paying a vet who doesn't specialize in rabbits is just throwing your money away, and can cost the life of your pet.

On the Importance of Spaying/Neutering

Probably the number one thing you can do to make bonding work is to spay/neuter your rabbit. Why? you ask. Well, for many reasons ...

Unfixed rabbits are sexually aggressive animals. You'll never see two rabbits meet for the first time and start playing together, like dogs in a dog park might. In the best cases they stay warily at opposite sides of their space. At their more typical they lunge at each other, bite, mount, and pull out fur. Watching your beloved Thumper become part of a roiling ball of teeth-gnashing fur with another animal is not fun, believe me.

Fixed rabbits are calmer, less prone to destructive behavior like digging and chewing, they don't spray urine, they're easier to litter train, females have a drastically longer life when the 85% risk of uterine cancer is removed ... and of most interest to us is the fact that they're less aggressive when the urge to mate is removed. That means less hormone-induced biting, lunging, circling, and growling, and so an easier bond weather it be with a rabbit or with another pet like a cat or dog.

Plus, by spaying/neutering you'll be sure not to accidentally contribute to the rabbit overpopulation problem ... remember that rabbits are the third most abandoned pet after cats and dogs.

For more information on the importance of spaying/neutering as it relates to bonding rabbits, visit www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

And for info on choosing a rabbit-savvy vet, see www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html (I'll be writing more on this topic soon!).

Wanted: New Guest Poster

Cat Meets Bunny is looking for our next guest poster!

Did you recently adopt a rabbit into a cat family (or vice versa), do you have some solid bunny knowledge, and are you moderately computer savvy? Then want you to be our next poster! All it takes is writing up a quick summary of your bonding experience every week or two. It can actually be very fun and really rewarding.

Email me at MeetsBunny@gmail.com if you're interested. Thanks!

GI Stasis: The Silent Killer

I was replying to a comment on the Dog Meets Bunny site, and realized that it might be worth talking about GI Stasis here, too.

When under stress (as when being bonded to another animal) or if they have other health problems, the gastrointestinal system of a rabbit can shut down as a reaction, which can lead to death. Symptoms are refusing to eat, weight loss, sluggishness, and very small droppings in their litterbox. This can come on VERY quickly ... just in a manner of a day or two. Rabbits are designed to eat almost all the time, which is why having free access to hay at all times is so important ... that constant eating keeps the GI tract moving. If your rabbit hasn't eaten in a day, seek medical attention from a rabbit-savvy vet immediately!

And remember, rabbits are an "exotic" pet with a very different metabolism than cats or dogs. Be sure the vet you see specializes in rabbits. Don't just ask if they'll see rabbits since many will say yes when they shouldn't. Ask the "trick" rabbit questions ... see the House Rabbit Society's article on this for suggestions.

I lost my first rabbit to GI Stasis, so I try to tell people about it when I can. See Dana Krempels' excellent article on the subject for more info.

A New Story

Last year my friend Amy adopted a German Shepherd and then bonded him with her two bunnies. Amy wanted to help other people who were trying to bond dogs and rabbits, so I created a website where she could chronicle the process ... dogmeetsbunny.blogspot.com. As the story progressed, we got a lot of comments from people who really appreciated seeing a first-hand narrative of Amy's experience ... a kind of diary of her individual experience.

Now that Amy has finished bonding her pets, we're starting up a new story there in the next few weeks with a different poster. But I want to see it grow even more! This is where I'm hoping you'll come in. This new website is for cat and bunny bonds, and expands from where Dog Meets Bunny left off. We're looking for someone who recently adopted a rabbit into a cat family (or vice versa), who has some solid bunny knowledge, and who is moderately computer savvy. We want you to be our first "guest poster." All you'd need to do is write up summaries of what you're doing and how things work out each time you introduce them. Amy actually had a lot of fun doing it, and it can be really rewarding.

If you're interested in being a part of the Cat Meets Bunny project, or if you're considering bringing a new bunny into your dog household and would like to be considered for Dog Meets Bunny's next opening, please email me and tell me a little bit about yourself. Thanks, and good luck with your bonding!