Rabbit + Kitten = ?

[Butterfinger]

So, my good friend's cat had a litter of kittens, who are just short of three months right now. She's having trouble finding homes for them, and I found out that my apartment complex allows cats, and I already paid the set pet deposit for Butter and my hamster. I have an extra litter box, and Butter uses cat litter anyway. PLUS there's a veterinary clinic just up the street from me. I haven't found out if they take rabbits yet, but I'm pretty sure they'd at least do cats.
My friend would be able to bring me down a kitten (I've met them before and liked a certain one) next week on the weekend, and I agreed, since I have always wanted a cat, and I'd be helping out my friend as well.

My question is....

There are several people on the forum who have adult cats and rabbits that get along.
I've had my rabbit for over three and a half years, so he's a full adult now, but the kitten wouldn't be.
Has anyone here ever had kittens and rabbits that got along fairly well? I know kittens can be hyperactive, and I'm not sure if this would scare Butter or fascinate him (He's afraid of large dogs and deer, but I don't think he's met an animal smaller than he is).

I'm not keeping my hopes up that they'll get along while the kitten is still very young, as kittens have little control of themselves at that age, but I guess I'm more interested in tips on how to raise the cat to play nice with Butter? (They'll be closely supervised in all their interactions, of course) I'm ready to keep them completely separate if it doesn't work out, but I'd like them both to have more freedom than that when the kitten becomes an adult.

Sorry I typed so much :? I'm just worried about how they'll get along, so if anyone has any helpful tips, it would be nice.
Thanks in advance!

~Diana and Butter

 

[tundrakatiebean]

If you do get the cat, but a top on butter's cage. Even if they get along I think things could get ugly if the kitten invaded butter's personal space. And I know for a fact cat's can jump over 2 nic grids height.

 

[Leaf]

These are a great way to start a kitten out:

http://softpaws.com/



One of my cats ignores the rabbits. One is scared of them - and the other cat (a kitten) wants to PLAYPLAYPLAY.

 

[Butterfinger]

I did think of that Even if it couldn't jump a two-grid NIC, it could definitely climb it with those little claws. So before it arrives, I was planning on topping Butter's cage.
(Thanks for the concern, though I know I'd be worried if I knew there was a way I hadn't thought of that the kitten could get in with the bunny and cause havoc)

 

[Butterfinger]

Leaf wrote:

These are a great way to start a kitten out:

http://softpaws.com/



One of my cats ignores the rabbits. One is scared of them - and the other cat (a kitten) wants to PLAYPLAYPLAY.



Thanks for the link! I've heard of those nail caps, but I thought they might come off easily... If you think they work well, though, I can certainly try it.

 

[Leaf]

You have to check them frequently. A cat sheds the sheath of it's claw roughly every 30 days.

My 6 year old cat does not wear softpaws.

My blind cat does at times, if I dont clip his nails often enough. It depends, really, on how "on top of things" I am. He is very "handsy" due to his inability to see, which can be very bothersome. In the youtube video of him I made his claws are clipped.

Peanut, the kitten wears them because she has a pretty high prey drive.

I really think, in a situation with rabbits that are house pets (and not caged a lot) it would be a good safety measure to look into at least for a trial period.



I can usually find new or partially used packets on eBay cheaper than I can order them from the company.

 

[Crazyt123]

Butterfinger wrote:

Butter uses cat litter anyway

I dont mean to be nosiy but isnt cat litter bad for rabbits ,because if they eat it ,it could clump and block their airway or plug their insides?

 

[JadeIcing]

Clumping litter is bad. Yesterdays news is ok. Not sure what else is ok.

Crazyt123 wrote:

Butterfinger wrote:

Butter uses cat litter anyway

I dont mean to be nosiy but isnt cat litter bad for rabbits ,because if they eat it ,it could clump and block their airway or plug their insides?

 

[aurora369]

Feline Pine is just another form of wood pellets a lot of people use for litter here. So a person could use the wood pellets for both kitty litter and bunny litter.

--Dawn

 

[Butterfinger]

:? Wow, a lot of comments about the litter.

Yes, I did know about the clumping (And scented) issues BEFORE I bought the litter, and looked SPECIFICALLY for one that was neither scented nor clumping. And that is what he uses now.

I'm glad for your concern, though

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

I used to use this cat litter from Petsmart....its pellets made from pine. Its just made from pine so it works for bunnies and cats. There another litter there made from corn cob. Also great for cats and bunnies. I like both of these because they don't get stuck in fur so much and I just hate cat litter smell.

I too was goign to make a comment about the cat litter but I see someone beat me to it.

 

[jcottonl02]

My rabbits are absolutely fine with my kittens. They get along really well. Pippin is a little scared of them but all they do it lick and sniff the rabbits- never once have they swiped or growled etc. With our dogs the kittens took ages to stop hissing and swiping, but that was so different to how they were with the buns.

 

[tundrakatiebean]

sooooo cute:biggrin2:

 

[gentle giants]

Oh, wow, how on earth did you ever get them to pose that well?! Your fur kids must be better behaved than mine! LOL

 

[maomaochiu]

wow! what is an amaizing pic! did you just tell them to line up??

i, also, am thinking to get a kitten, i currently have two bunnies, one is 1.5 years old, the other is 9 months old. I am using woody pet for the bunnies litter now, and i was wondering ifthekittencan use the same litter??

also, how about food? what if the bunnies eat the cat's food and vice versa?

thanks!

 

[okiron]

My one year old tabby leaves both bunnies alone. He's the oldest and acts like the "i know everything" teenager, which at 1.5 years, he is. My 4 month old kitten has been taken on by the Lumi (the female) as a surrogate mother so he gets nurtured while she gets protected. He sees Nilla (the male) as a playmate along with someone who he should protect his "mother" from when he's hassling her. The feeling is mutual. They play together well and neither of my kittens bring out their claws. I have conditioned them from the minute I got them that the only time I clip their nails is whenever they use it, so no nails, no nail clipping. Might sound dangerous to some but it's amazing how fast cats figure it out and stick to it religiously.

Edit : Food wise, I don't really worry about it. My last bunny (RIP Mari) grew up with my chihuahua and they shared food constantly. Did nothing bad for them and was quite interesting to see a dog in love with fruits and vegetables. My bunnies and kitties are starting to share food now and I don't have any concerns over it.

 

[Bunnicula]

okiron wrote:

Edit : Food wise, I don't really worry about it. My last bunny (RIP Mari) grew up with my chihuahua and they shared food constantly. Did nothing bad for them and was quite interesting to see a dog in love with fruits and vegetables. My bunnies and kitties are starting to share food now and I don't have any concerns over it.

DO NOT let your bunnies eat cat or dog food!!!!!!!! Bunnies are herbivores. Cats are carnivores. The protein in the cat (and dog) food at best may cause gastric upset. Consuming too much of it could cause serious problems! I wouldn't get excited over 1 piece of kibble...but bunnies sharing thefood? Very bad idea.

About litter: Just be careful that the litter you choose will be safe if ingested. (Obviously clumping is bad for bunnies.) Clay based litter is also a poor choice because it is so dusty and bunnies have sensitive respiratory systems.

We use Care Fresh for the bunnies and a corn based clumping litter forthe cats. The bunnies did try to eat the cat litter at first, so I kept them away from it. Now the fascination wore off and they can be trusted around the cat litter boxes...still I try to limit their access and supervise them closely.

The only time I would consider using the same litter for both is if it were a newspaper or wood pellet. Because if you want a multi-use litter it needs to be safe for bunnies and have the odor control you'll require to handle cat urine.

-Mary Ellen

(PS We've got 10 cats & 3 bunnies...and all get along well. Be careful with the kitten, though...they have sharp, fast-growing claws. Never leave it unsupervised with your bunny.)

 

[Butterfinger]

Wow, thanks for all the responses! (I didn't get more email notifications, so I didn't know about the ones after Jak's post)

jcottonL02, those photos are adorable! I'm glad to hear all your pets get along

I will find -some- way to put a top on Butter's pen, even if it's not with NIC panels (Tried that, failed miserably). I'm wondering if maybe I could get a hot tub cover somewhere that would fit nicely (I'd have to add more panels to go around the circumference of the whole area, though, but I don't mind). .. Hmm... Well, I'l think of something.

I also think I'm going to try the 'Softpaws' out on the new kitten, even if it never occurs to him that Butter might be something to swat (It's always nice to be careful)

Thanks again for being helpful, guys.

(I'll also try to make sure to keep them away from each other's food, now that you've brought up what issues that can create, Bunnicula. I never thought Butter would want any cat food because it would smell like meat, but I'll make sure to be careful. Thanks! )

 

[okiron]

Bunnicula wrote:

okiron wrote

Edit : Food wise, I don't really worry about it. My last bunny (RIP Mari) grew up with my chihuahua and they shared food constantly. Did nothing bad for them and was quite interesting to see a dog in love with fruits and vegetables. My bunnies and kitties are starting to share food now and I don't have any concerns over it.

DO NOT let your bunnies eat cat or dog food!!!!!!!! Bunnies are herbivores. Cats are carnivores. The protein in the cat (and dog) food at best may cause gastric upset. Consuming too much of it could cause serious problems! I wouldn't get excited over 1 piece of kibble...but bunnies sharing thefood? Very bad idea.

Don't worry Bunnicula, when I say "share food", 1-2 nibbles is all I mean. (On the bunnies side anyway) Sorry to not be clear. Yes, if they actually started eating a bunch I would be concerned, but nothing of the sort is going on. Again, sorry for not being clear. Besides that they leave the cat food alone so I don't have nothing to worry. Hay, pellets and treats are way more appetizing for my little ones lol. My cats do love hay though.

 

[kathy5]

sorry I can not help out to to much but you may want to take a look at this very cute



[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrrCuCyQVNk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrrCuCyQVNk[/ame]