Hi everyone, unfortunately yesterday I had a neighbours cat get in and jumped into the rabbits pen, and jumping out with one of the 6 week old babies. Before any obvious harm was done I was able to frighten the cat to drop the bunny. Yesterday he was in shock, I put him on a hot water bottle in a dark and quite area and as the day went on he visibly improved like nothing had happened, moving, eating, drinking etc. today is a different story and he rarely moves ( only when he’s too hot or cold), I have been feeding him through a syringe and he did drink water from the bowl, but not voluntarily eating. He also seems to want to rest the weight of his head on bowls, ledges etc and I’m wondering if he has any damage to his neck? I do not have any rabbit savy vets in my area and my vets nearby says he hasn’t dealt with many rabbits. There wasn’t any puncture wounds or obvious injury to the bunny, but I’m wondering if he has nerve damage in his neck or worse they are severed. I’m very conflicted when it comes to his welfare and don’t know what to do. Do I keep feeding him and see if there’s any improvement over the next few days? I feel terrible
Help! Cat attack
- Thread starter Lola56
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He likely sustained a wound and it became infected. This is common with cat bites and scratches. Also be prepared for the strong possibility this bunny may not make it. Cat bites cause serious infections, and if not treated with the proper rabbit safe antibiotic immediately, they very often are fatal.
If there are absolutely no wounds, the other possibility is the shock has caused heart failure. If so, I'm not sure there's anything you can do aside from keeping the kit warm, as a cold rabbit can become hypothermic and also won't eat well then. And continuing to syringe feed a recovery food, and maybe some electrolytes, as shock in rabbits can cause hypoglycemia. This needs to be done slowly and carefully, giving the kit time to swallow, to reduce the chances of aspiration pneumonia occurring. If this is hypoglycemia and not the other problems, he could possibly recover if kept warm(not too hot) and with electrolytes with glucose in them.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
If there are absolutely no wounds, the other possibility is the shock has caused heart failure. If so, I'm not sure there's anything you can do aside from keeping the kit warm, as a cold rabbit can become hypothermic and also won't eat well then. And continuing to syringe feed a recovery food, and maybe some electrolytes, as shock in rabbits can cause hypoglycemia. This needs to be done slowly and carefully, giving the kit time to swallow, to reduce the chances of aspiration pneumonia occurring. If this is hypoglycemia and not the other problems, he could possibly recover if kept warm(not too hot) and with electrolytes with glucose in them.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
john.thorpe1952
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All the above advice is excellent and I won't repeat for the sake of it,but i would say,take this as a wake up call to secure the pen from above to prevent it happening again.With animal husbandry the trick is to think of the worst that can happen and try to forestall it by preventative measures.
Elahenajafi
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john.thorpe1952
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Sorry Elahenajafi, were you asking for help and if so can I be of any help?
Elahenajafi
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Hello, . Some time ago, my rabbit fell on ceramic and broke his jaw. He is taking Pedilact, vitamin and calcium medicine, but he does not want to eat alfalfa leaves at all. I am very worried about him. I wanted your help.
john.thorpe1952
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I will certainly help if I can,and I'm sure some of the members who have direct experience with this problem will be able to offer help too.If you don't mind me asking so I can get a better picture of what happened,how old is your rabbit,what sex,what is the normal diet apart from alfalfa? Does he/she have pellets of any sort and are they being eaten.I wonder if the jaw injury is making eating a bit painful,and whether you might try moistening the pellets withwater or a herbal tea such as comomile to make them easier to eat. Did you see a vet(I assume you did) and did they take an x ray to determine the extent of the damage?If your rabbit is tame and used to being handled (which is always a good thing to encourage),will he/she take food from your fingers?Sorry for all the questions,but as you can appreciate,it isn't easy when you can't see the animal directly.
LolaE
Well-Known Member
So sorry to hear about your rabbit.
Keep us updated. I hope all goes well.
The link discussing the issue with @Elahenajafi rabbit can be found here:
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/broken-jaw-new-member.104561/
@Elahenajafi , go to the above link to see replies to your question. If you ever have new questions unrelated to your current question, please create a new thread under the appropriate forum.
@john.thorpe1952 I copy/pasted your comments on the linked thread so the discussion can be continued there.
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Sorry to hear you are having this bad experience from a neighbour's cat and I hope the bun gets well.
Elahenajafi
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3toomanybunnies
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I worked in a wildlife sanctuary for 5 years - and one of the WORST things about cats is that, even if they don’t kill their prey, they carry a bacteria in their saliva called Toxoplasmosis which causes a slow death.
If the bunnies fragile skin tore even a little bit in the cats mouth, it’s likely your baby bunny was exposed to this bacteria.
I’m not sure what to do as I never saw any of our wildlife survive this (though Aussie wildlife is very sensitive to toxoplasmosis) - I hope your baby bunny is okay.
A cat bite or scratch is a rabbit emergency. Take them to the vet ASAP.
The bacteria in a cats mouth and claws is Pasteurella multocida.
Taxoplasmosis gondii is a parasite that some cats pick up and pass through their stool. It effects other animals including humans as a brain parasite.
The bacteria in a cats mouth and claws is Pasteurella multocida.
Taxoplasmosis gondii is a parasite that some cats pick up and pass through their stool. It effects other animals including humans as a brain parasite.
Toxoplasmosis can be treatable if caught and treated in the early stage.
Medirabbit: toxoplasmosis in rabbits
Update: unfortunately he did pass away 
the vet agreed to see him but felt like nothing could be done since there was no obvious wounds to him, but I was given painkillers and to continue with critical care but he only seemed to decline. I have been extremely paranoid since with my other buns. They are in a rabbit room that they free roam, but with he temperatures hitting 27-30c (80-86f), extremely rare for where I’m from, I must leave the door open for proper ventilation since the window isn’t enough. I do have a pen at the door blocking entry, but of course to a cat I’m sure climbing it wouldn’t be an issue. I’m always looking out now and when they’re just running and binking around I hear them and always presume the worst, but luckily cat hasn’t gotten in since. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks
the vet agreed to see him but felt like nothing could be done since there was no obvious wounds to him, but I was given painkillers and to continue with critical care but he only seemed to decline. I have been extremely paranoid since with my other buns. They are in a rabbit room that they free roam, but with he temperatures hitting 27-30c (80-86f), extremely rare for where I’m from, I must leave the door open for proper ventilation since the window isn’t enough. I do have a pen at the door blocking entry, but of course to a cat I’m sure climbing it wouldn’t be an issue. I’m always looking out now and when they’re just running and binking around I hear them and always presume the worst, but luckily cat hasn’t gotten in since. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks- Joined
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Sorry to hear you lost him.Update: unfortunately he did pass away
My rabbits are indoors in the shade with the windows shut so no flies can get in and they are cool enough. I have thought about buying a fan, it's hitting 35°celsius on Tuesday.
FlopsyBunnies4
Well-Known Member
I’m so sorry he didn’t make it.
I have a fan is my bunny room and it helps keep them cool and comfortable even though the temperatures here are 100f.
I have a fan is my bunny room and it helps keep them cool and comfortable even though the temperatures here are 100f.
I'm so sorry the little kit didn't make it.
If you have a way to secure it to the doorway, you could put a second pen panel above the lower one. Not as secure, but a lightweight drape could be hung across the doorway, or maybe those self sealing window/door screens. This will give the appearance the doorway is blocked, though if really determined, a cat could of course get through.
self sealing window and door screen
If you have a way to secure it to the doorway, you could put a second pen panel above the lower one. Not as secure, but a lightweight drape could be hung across the doorway, or maybe those self sealing window/door screens. This will give the appearance the doorway is blocked, though if really determined, a cat could of course get through.
self sealing window and door screen
