Do cats and bunnies get along ? Can rabbit stay alone ?

[Oreo and cookie <3]

Hi ! My rabbit gave birth some time ago and got 7 babies. We already gave 4 to people which will take good care of them and we are keeping 2 which means that there's still 1 left. The assistant of the vet where i go told me that she wanted that rabbit. I know that the bunny will get good heath care . But i'm don't know if i should give it to her because she said she had 2 dogs and a cat. I suppose she keeps her dogs outside but what about the cat ? The cat surely is kept inside. I don't know if rabbits and cats get along or if the cat will injure the poor bunny. And when my dad was on the phone with her, she told him that she will buy a cage ! Well, i'm not sure if she is going to keep him in a cage or maybe my mother will talk to her about not keeping it in a cage but I don't like the idea of buying a cage at all. I always let my bunnies free roam half of the house because i don't like keeping them in cages. Rabbits are not made to be kept in cages , they're not capable to run or jump. But the other thing is that if i gave it to someone else , the bunny might feel very lonely , when the 4 bunnies were not there he felt sad because he wasn't bonding well at that time with the 2 others but now they are always together. He doesn't like to be left alone . I know people may be thinking what if I keep him myself . Only one answer : Impossible ! Because of my parents , they told me that at first we were going to keep only one but after i was so sad they accepted to keep 2 but they told me that was the limit we're not going to keep 5 rabbits , 4 is already enough. ( the other 2 adults rabbits i have ) My parents are pressuring me everyday about making a decision but the thing is i have no idea of what to do. I'm in a situation where both decisions can end up in a bad choice. Please , if anyone has any suggestions help me ! I don't want this bunny to be sad :'(

 

[hunnybunny254367819364]

Sorry for the confusion but so this last bunny spends all of his time with the other bunnies? If so then he may already be bonded to them. And if you give him away especially somewhere that he’d be a single rabbit he could very possibly get lonely. Also I understand your concern with the cat. Some cats and bunnies get along. Others not so much. And you’re right about cages they’re no good. You could maybe set up a meeting with the vets cat and see how the rabbit and cat interact. Or you could explain to your parents that removing a bonded bunny will be extremely detrimental to his social health (and physical health he may stop eating because of depression). If the vet does end up taking the rabbit I would educate her about maybe giving the rabbit free range of a room with a door (cat won’t have accesS) or an xpen with a cover. Either way the bunny could still get stressed out if the cat would torment it through the cage

 

[Oreo and cookie <3]

Thank you for your response . I want to keep him because i don't want him to be sad or his heath to be affected. I talk with my mom ,she told me she wanted to keep it as well but the only problem is my dad which isn't the best person to gladly accept. My dad refused at all cost . The bunny problably already bonded with the 2 others , i don't want to seperate them but at the same time i should not take much time or else he'll have a stronger relationship. You are right the bunny will be so depressed if he's alone because he was so sad just when the 4 others were gone and being a single bunny would be so much worst. I'll tell my mother to phone the vet assisstant and explain to her about problems with the cat and the cage and talk about keeping it in a room the cat can't access or in an x pen. I hopes that her cat is friendly and not aggresive.

 

[Blue eyes]

The rabbit is not bonded with the others. Baby bonds don't count as true bonds. As soon as hormones kick in, all former friendliness can be forgotten and they can get aggressive and even fight each other. So don't think it's cruel to separate them. It is just fine.

Rabbits often get along with both cats and dogs. Unless you think the vet assistant is stupid, they will know how to introduce and handle having multiple pets. I wouldn't worry so much. Nor would I be trying to dictate to the vet assistant that she needs to keep the rabbit in a separate room.

As for a cage, that is just fine provided the cage is large enough. It is actually safer for the bunny to have a space of his own in which he can't be bothered. It is also better for him emotionally to have a space that he knows is his alone. He can be let out for free roaming every day while being supervised. Again, this is just fine for bunny.

As for keeping this 3rd baby, I do believe that could be quite the mistake because of those bunny hormones. It would be very unusual for all 3 babies and the mom to continue to get along. Most likely, there will be aggression once hormones kick in. You may then end up with all kinds of bonding difficulties, spay/neuter surgeries, and still end up with 4 rabbits that can't be kept together. The ideal bonding is one pair of fixed rabbits. Whether or not they ultimately bond will be up to the individual rabbits.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I agree with Blue Eyes, they are not bonded yet. I also think that it would be fine to house the baby alone if the vet is giving him attention. And the owner might be planning on bonding it with another rabbit once it grows up.
And cats and rabbits should do fine together. My cats had kittens 2 days apart and we housed the 2 moms and 11 kittens in the shed with Theo. The kittens would climb into his playpen and groom him and keep him company.

 

[Leo the Lop]

I agree with Blue Eyes and Theo. Not only are the bunnies not bonded, are you quite sure they are all the same ***? I’m afraid you could end up with several babies in the end. My little polish is in his cage when I’m not home (I’m usually home) and at night and he is a very happy and healthy bunny. I also have two dogs (indoors) and a cat.

 

[Oreo and cookie <3]

Thank you for your responses. I feel reassured now that i know he's not attched to the 2 others.
I read that it totally depends on the personality of the cat because some cats may be friendly and not aggresive toward the bunny but others not. My friend has a cat and when she got a puppy the cat didn't like it. Till now the cat still sort of like slap it with his paw or beat the dog my cousin also has a cat which don't like any other animals , it even chases dogs on the road like literally ! I know not all cats are like this i even saw videos of cats playing with rabbits and it was so freaking adorable<3 but i'm still scared, it all depends on the personalities.
To make sure to not get babies again , i'm going to check the gender with the vet and and seperate them when they reach mature age until they are fixed. ( i'll soon fix the mother , i had planned to fix her last month but she had babies , now that her babies arw all grown up she's soon going to be spayed )

To be honest i really don't like cages till now when i put the baby bunny in a cage we bought before but don't use he tries to escape. Even my male rabbit when he's put in a closed space he starts to pacnic and would thump and try to bite the cage fence. One time i remember we had this big box where even i could fit with still space remaining but when i put the male rabbit i thought he would play like he normally do when i bring him to new places but he began to stress and tried to climb on my back to get out. Personally i hate seeing bunnies in cages, for me it's just sad to see an animal being enclosed. Even seeing bunnies in small cages in pet store hurts my heart.

Right now i'm looking at all the positive and negative effects. The good point with the assisstant is that i'm sure if it gets sick it'll get good care but there are still some possibilities of the cat and the cage. If the cat can bond and the bunny is not being kept all day in a cage it'll be totally fine.
But if the cat can't bond with the bunny or it will just be kept in the cage all day then it will be a problem and i might have to give it to somebody else.

 

[Leo the Lop]

I agree sitting in a cage all day every day would be horrible, talk the vet and ask her what his schedule would be like and how much time would he actually spend in the cage? It’s okay to “interview” prospective adopters.

 

[Leo the Lop]

Oh also, How old are the bunnies? I don’t know if you already know this but They can get pregnant at 3 months old.

 

[Blue eyes]

I'm wondering now what you are thinking of when you say "cage." Have you seen the indoor cages threads on here? You may be surprised at their sizes.

I'm also wondering the age of the babies. Members on here have heard of the rare instance of a 10.5 week old male impregnating a female. The buns should be separated by *** by 10 to 11 weeks of age.

Most rabbits stress when first placed in a new cage but it is the "new" not the cage that is stressful. Any new environment typically causes stress for a rabbit. Once settled rabbits tend to like having their own space. In fact, even my free roam rabbits will often choose to lounge in their (open door) cage.