Rabbit and Cat Cohabitation

With only experience caring for cats, birds, dogs, and fish, I recently fostered and then adopted a rabbit from House Rabbit Society whom I named Bonbon. With my intense admiration for animals, it was a long-overdue decision. As much as I wanted to rescue a bunny, my primary hesitation revolved around cohabitation with my cats. Never having cared for a rabbit, I was trepidatious about introducing one to my six-cat brood. Proceeding with caution, I decided to foster the adorable bunny for one month. Just over three weeks into the trial period, my heart ached at the thought of returning him. I was officially attached. Now, I had the daunting task of making both the cats and the rabbit comfortable and happy in my home.

Reading much literature about rabbits brought me to the conclusion they aren’t very different from cats in their primary nature. They can both be skittish, require personal space, enjoy playing, need private indoor bathroom facilities, respond well to consistent schedules, like to experience human interaction and be petted, are social and pack animals, and need similar health management.

Cats must have space and toys and food that are individually theirs. The same holds true for rabbits. Once I felt certain that my bunny and my cats knew the rabbit enclosure was only for him, I opened the door. I had placed an upholstered small animal bed which the cats had frequented adjacent to his habitat. It had their smell on it, which I wanted him to become familiar with. Bunnies are similar to cats and dogs in that their noses and ears play more important sensory roles than do their eyes. Accepting each other’s scents would be an important milestone.

Since Bonbon and three of the cats were close in age (around a year old), I was hoping their instinct to play would help instigate the familiarizing process. When both species were fully rested, had nice, full tummies from breakfast, and were ready for activity, I introduced some toys. Balls with bells inside, wand toys, and catnip-filled baubles were scattered around the room. The cats eagerly engaged in play while Bonbon watched from inside his area. Either his curiosity or desire to play got the better of him, and he hopped over to a toy. While examining the toy, one of the cats snuck up on him from behind and sniffed him. What happened next was simply magical; the cat and the bunny touched noses and began to nudge the toy together! Then another cat came and joined in. The kitten, the previous recipient of the two thumps, kept his distance while observing. After this positive interaction, I gathered up those toys and exchanged them for different ones. A large build-it-yourself cardboard condo complex sealed their cohabitation. It was two stories tall with openings on both sides. I stuffed it with small fun toys including thick yarn, straws, toilet paper tubes, wadded crinkle paper, and plastic spoons. Neither cats nor bunny could resist the temptation to go inside this new box. Before they knew it, they were playing games of hide and seek, chase, and grab the toy together! The cats were most interested in jumping on top of the box and trying to figure out what was inside making it move. Bonbon enjoyed jumping about, which created intriguing noises for the cats to figure out. They were equally captivated by the contraption and worked as a sort of team to conquer it.