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naturestee

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James and I are thinking about adopting a cat. I'm a bit nervous about this because I don't want to have to lock up the cat while the rabbits are out. And they're out a lot when I'm home.

So, my biggest question is it better to get a kitten or an older cat? A kitten would grow up with the rabbits but an adult would be less hyper, maybe less likely to pounce in play (at least, if I choose her personality right).

Also, how have you introduced them? I'm worried about Mocha because she can be very aggressive with other rabbits. I don't want my 2 lb terror hurting the cat! Do I need to do the neutral territory thing?

And so you know, unless we adopt an adult that's already been declawed, we're definately going to use Soft Paws. I can't trust a cat not to scratch the rabbits but I'm very much against declawing. The cat would also be strictly indoors, so I can't just put her out while the rabbits are out.
 
I am in the same dilemma. Here's my thread:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=14094&forum_id=1


I still need to convince my husband. Anyhow, what I did, is contact some rescue organizations and see if they knew of any cats that got along with bunnies. There were some people who were fostering cats and rabbits and could tell me which ones got along with the bunnies.

They also told me that rabbits can be very aggresive towards each other and show no aggresion to another species. Definitely two different kettle of fish.

I hope that helps!
 
Soft Paws are little plastic caps for cat nails that prevent them from doing damage when they scratch.
http://www.softpaws.com/

They were made to be an alternative to declawing for cats who aren't easy to train.

Thanks for the link, Jordiwes! It's really interesting to hear that aggressive rabbits aren't always aggressive to cats.
 
Awwww!! I have a friend who's had lots of cats, and they said getting two is the best.

Keep us updated!

You might want to contact Seniorcats. I believe she has a lot of rabbit/cat experience. m.e. as well.
 
I have four spayed female cats and none would hurt the bunny we had. We'd let her lose with them all the time and they'd follow her around and sniff her and soft paw (no claws just playful) bat at her some and she'd chase them and they'd run... it was all playful fun.

The kids left her loose one night and I didn't realize and she was laying out happy as could be the next morning looking like she was thrilled to have been forgotten, lol.

I'm looking forward to seeing thier reaction when I intruduce them to my flemish.

My DOGS on the other hand absolutly can not be around rabbits. It's a very good thing we have a huge house and we have plenty of room to keep the dogs away from the rabbits.
 
Aww, now those two are simply adorable!!

Before I say anything, perhaps I should let you know a bit about my cat-owning past. I've owned over twenty cats in my life (since the age of about ten), of all ages, both genders, all kinds of personalities, etc. I've had many kittens with mothers, kittens just by themselves, kittens and older kitties, kittens and senior kitties, etc. Just about every kitten situation you can have, I've lived through and learned from. :)

That having been said, I think getting two kittens would be great, but you might wait to introduce them and the buns until the kitties are about six months old. Of course, it depends really on the kitties' and the bunnies' personalities. If you have really sweet, laid back buns, you could probably introduce them sooner than that. If you have a more agressive bunny, you might want to wait to introduce them after the kitties have been exposed to the buns for a few months, and you generally know how they'll react. A good rule of thumb, also, would be to wait at least a couple weeks, so you can know the kitties' personalities, too.

Ultimately, you can test out the situation, and let them out together (use the neutral territory if that'll help the bunnies...you don't have to worry about that with the kitties), but be ready to see how things progress. I'm sure you won't have much problem with them being such young kittens (on the kitties' side of things), but watch to see what the buns do. If I had more experience (heck, ANY experience) in introducing bunnies, I would be able to tell you more exactly what to do with the bunnies, but you've had lots, so I'm not too worried. :)

My best suggestion, normally, in getting a single cat, would be to get a cat that's approx. a year old, maybe a bit older. That way, you have a kitty that's still trainable (and let me know if you'd like tips on how to train, and I'll also PM you with an EXCELLENT cat site), but yet past the age where they'll be too young to understand what you're trying to tell them. But since you're getting the TWO kittens, it would probably end up being perfect at that age, since they'll entertain each other so well. :)

The only way six weeks might be a bit tricky, is due to the fact that sometimes kitties that age tend to go kinda out of their mind during play. I mean, they truly don't realize what they're doing, and how it's affecting those they're doing it to. When people ask me on my allexpert.com profile about kittens that age and how to keep them from chasing them, biting their ankles, etc, I have to let them know that there are just times that kittens just don't know what they're doing, and just won't listen when you ask them to stop or try to train them to do otherwise.

All that aside, I wanted to also let you know that getting those two together (with them already being bonded) would be a great idea, because they'll entertain each other much of the time, and that'll help keep them from focusing all that energy on trying to play with the bunnies. Be aware, though, that getting them at that age will require you to wait at least six weeks before being able to use the Soft Paws, because they won't fit until at least twelve weeks, according to the website.

Bottom line, getting the two kittens might be a bit of a challenge, so I would ultimately recommend a kitty that's approx a year old (or a year and a half), but if you decided to go with those two kittens, it would work out. I wish you lived closer, so I could come over and help you with the kittens and such, but I can at least offer my help in giving you some training advice if you need it. :)

So, I will be PM'ing you with my email addy and that cat site I mentioned, so you have that to work with.

If anyone reading this would like either of those, as well, feel free to PM me to ask! :D
 
Thanks for the info!

Maherwoman, do you think there would be problems with some adult cats having high prey drives? I mean, Mocha is tiny and the cat I grew up with would often kill baby rabbits. Although of the cats we had after her, one was afraid of hamsters and the other one thought they were toys but protected them when they escaped. So that's our biggest concern with adopting adult cats, because we won't know if they're used to hunting small animals. There is a really good animal sanctuary here that keeps all of it's animals in foster homes, and the foster parents would probably have an idea of how the cats would be around small animals. But James is pushing for kittens so they can grow up around the rabbits. We are planning on keeping the door to the rabbit room closed when we're gone. And the cats would only be in the same place as the bunnies if we can watch them all like hawks, even after we're sure they get along.

Edit: I just checked and one of those two kittens (Ike, the calico) has already been adopted. :cry2 But there's two other shelters here that have litters of kittens, so I shouldn't have a hard time finding a pair of siblings.
 
It's a good article, but I do know people who's cats have attacked small animals in their home while the owner was away.

I think it's pretty definate we'll be getting a cat soon. We might even go to the Humane Society to look around today. I'm such a sucker though, I'll probably be crying when I come home. I wish I could take all the animals!
 
Now that you mention it, yeah, that might be a problem with an older kitty. But if you get the kitty at around one year of age, and the foster home knows they weren't an outdoor cat, you should be okay. As long as the kitty was exclusively indoors, you should be fine. Most kitties don't really develop a high prey instinct unless they've spent time outdoors fending for themselves. Even then, I've heard of kitties that were indoor/outdoor killing rabbits when they were outside, but not doing a BIT of harm to their indoor rabbit friends.

I would be on the safe side, and see if you can get either the two younger kittens, or one older (about a year old) kitty that's been an exclusive indoor kitty.

:)

Bottom line, yes, there are instincts, but given a young enough cat, you won't have a problem laying down the law and teaching them who's boss. They have a very good social structure, and adhere to it very well, so you won't have a problem. :)

naturestee wrote:
Thanks for the info!

Maherwoman, do you think there would be problems with some adult cats having high prey drives? I mean, Mocha is tiny and the cat I grew up with would often kill baby rabbits. Although of the cats we had after her, one was afraid of hamsters and the other one thought they were toys but protected them when they escaped. So that's our biggest concern with adopting adult cats, because we won't know if they're used to hunting small animals. There is a really good animal sanctuary here that keeps all of it's animals in foster homes, and the foster parents would probably have an idea of how the cats would be around small animals. But James is pushing for kittens so they can grow up around the rabbits. We are planning on keeping the door to the rabbit room closed when we're gone. And the cats would only be in the same place as the bunnies if we can watch them all like hawks, even after we're sure they get along.

Edit: I just checked and one of those two kittens (Ike, the calico) has already been adopted. :cry2 But there's two other shelters here that have litters of kittens, so I shouldn't have a hard time finding a pair of siblings.
 
I know what you mean...I would be, too. Lol...my husband won't even let me look at petfinders online! LOL!! He's afraid I might find another bun like Flower, and make space for him/her to live here. Lol!! I have to admit...I'm totally guilty as charged!! :D

naturestee wrote:
It's a good article, but I do know people who's cats have attacked small animals in their home while the owner was away.

I think it's pretty definate we'll be getting a cat soon. We might even go to the Humane Society to look around today. I'm such a sucker though, I'll probably be crying when I come home. I wish I could take all the animals!
 
My cat thought that it was quite amusing to kill/torture the wild baby buns that live in our yard. We would hear the buns screaming in the middle of the night. We don't have her anymore. She got killed by a car shortly after one of her bunny murdering rampages.

Sorry to put a damper on the discussion. I know that there are plenty of cats and buns that live together peacefully, but I definately would not get a cat if you have small rabbits, like ND's.
 
Just got back from the humane society! We're doing foster-to-adopt so we can check how they'll all get along. We're adopting two non-sibling kittens. I think they're both estimated to be about 8 weeks old.

Jenni, I'd be worried about my little buns (Polish and Dwarf Hotot) except the kittens weigh the same or less right now. And if a rabbit can put a cat in it's place, it's Mocha. We did make sure to look for kittens that appeared less aggressive and were a little submissive. I think that will help. And the one is extremely social and very loving for a kitten that was on the streets last week!
 
I really wouldn't worry too much about the cats doing anything to the rabbits, especially if they at the very least have their claws trimmed (if they're too young for the Soft Claws/Paws to fit). Cats outside act MUCH differently to rabbits than indoor cats do, especially because they understand that the rabbits indoors are part of the family. It's different with other animals you might have indoors because rabbits are a bit better competition and more like them than, say, a gerbil. :)
 

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