Cat's Behaviour Towards Rabbit?

[catspaw66]

 

[jtbo]

I can only say that my feral origin cats do hunt bunnies, usually they bite leg so that it breaks and as bunny can hop only in circles it is long torture game, so I have to end suffering quickly if I just happen to see the event on time.

Some cats are probably different and there are multiple examples in world of prey and hunter co-existing in family, so anything is possible, but it is good to understand bunny is part of natural diet for feline carnivores.

No matter how cute kitty is, there is sadistic natural born killer inside that fluffy fur, they don't know word cruel, they know only how to survive at top of the food chain.

Edit: Oh yes, 1st pic, that is classic "sizing up my prey" posture from fangs and claws of death clan
But seriously it is probably just a curiosity, I hope they get along well, cats differ so much from each other.

 

[sailon]

Outside cats here take down jackrabbits bigger than them. The difference here is you cat is well fed, indoors and likely doesn't associate the rabbit as being a potential meal. I agree about having the rabbit S/N. Contrary to what people think bunnies can be quite vicious and will kick the poo out of your dog or cat if cornered. Rabbits are very playful and can indeed learn to walk on leads and use a litter box. I think with careful supervision your pets have the chance of developing a great friendship and enjoying each other's company.

I think Kittens Mom has a good point re not letting your cat get too hungry.

 

[jtbo]

I think Kittens Mom has a good point re not letting your cat get too hungry.

Probably will work with indoor cat, those cats that have got taste of hunting as a kitten or some other part of life will not necessarily need to be hungry, most of the catch presented to me seems to be left and forgotten, they are bit too well fed with food readily available and still they go out and catch prey.

Primal instinct of carnivore, movement within attack range makes them drop low and go into hunt mode, some sound and perhaps smells tend to cause that.

Hunger might get cat more curious about new foods around, so there well fed cat is of course less likely to explore new culinary experiences, so it is very good tactic which might work well in this case, but it really depends from the cat and background of the cat, how much hunter there is.

 

[kittens mom]

it's not about the cat not being hungry most house cats idea of hungry is much different than a stray/feral or the hunting instinct an outdoor cat might develop. I am watching my 9 month olds hunt bugs at the door and the natural instinct to catch , play, kill is fully present.
Young enough and with the right cat and a diligent human it's possible for them to become supervised friends though there would never be a guarantee that your cat would not resort to natural predation.

 

[kittens mom]

Probably will work with indoor cat, those cats that have got taste of hunting as a kitten or some other part of life will not necessarily need to be hungry, most of the catch presented to me seems to be left and forgotten, they are bit too well fed with food readily available and still they go out and catch prey.

Primal instinct of carnivore, movement within attack range makes them drop low and go into hunt mode, some sound and perhaps smells tend to cause that.

Hunger might get cat more curious about new foods around, so there well fed cat is of course less likely to explore new culinary experiences, so it is very good tactic which might work well in this case, but it really depends from the cat and background of the cat, how much hunter there is.

I look at rats and hedgehogs and think how nice it would be to have them again and then watch my cats kill a bug one piece at a time.

 

[daisyd]

it's not about the cat not being hungry most house cats idea of hungry is much different than a stray/feral or the hunting instinct an outdoor cat might develop. I am watching my 9 month olds hunt bugs at the door and the natural instinct to catch , play, kill is fully present.
Young enough and with the right cat and a diligent human it's possible for them to become supervised friends though there would never be a guarantee that your cat would not resort to natural predation.

Our gracie ignored us last night - didnt even sleep on the bed with us because hubby 'rescued' a spider from her playing with it last night . However if the individual has had house rabbits before they know about them ! Apparently they get quite aggressive themselves when older ! Someone put on a thread a neighbours dog killed a cat whilst playing so that put me off getting a dog... I think there is always going to be worry with mixed species!

 

[lalagimp]

Tommy has had guinea pigs for almost 8 years, since he was 3 months old. They only get to 2-2.5 lbs
Stewart is a little more ornery. Occasionally when he's in the pen he'll herd them and I tell him STOP TOUCHING THE PIGGIES. It may just depend on your cats. My girls have shown no interest in 8 years. We're good over here.

 

[GalaxyRose]

Ben actually ate a spider last night. He seems content to just sit with Loki half the time, (1st picture) but he hunted a spider and ended up eating it in the evening and it was quick, so it makes me think that if he had any killer intentions towards Loki, he would've tried to do it already.

Also, I was taking pictures again of them interacting, and Ben bit Loki's neck again as I took one, so I have a picture of it (2nd picture).

Also, as soon as Ben bites Loki's neck, he lets go. Which I find strange...

 

[sailon]

Probably will work with indoor cat, those cats that have got taste of hunting as a kitten or some other part of life will not necessarily need to be hungry, most of the catch presented to me seems to be left and forgotten, they are bit too well fed with food readily available and still they go out and catch prey.

Primal instinct of carnivore, movement within attack range makes them drop low and go into hunt mode, some sound and perhaps smells tend to cause that.

Hunger might get cat more curious about new foods around, so there well fed cat is of course less likely to explore new culinary experiences, so it is very good tactic which might work well in this case, but it really depends from the cat and background of the cat, how much hunter there is.

I'm sure you're correct, and I had evidence of that the other day. Maxine is a 6 year old, well fed, indoor only spayed female. She did, however, follow me out onto the porch the other day, spotted a squirrel in the distance, and was on it in a flash. Fortunately the squirrel only lost part of it's tail.

My observation about hunger may have been misplaced re domestic cats. I mentioned it based on my interaction with some larger cats. Though you should never turn your back on a lion or tiger, they become especially dangerous when hungry. Their personalities change, and they don't have a lot of patience. The difference in their agression is quite marked between hungry and content.

 

[orange&white]

Also, as soon as Ben bites Loki's neck, he lets go. Which I find strange...

He's still trying to locate the jugular, waiting for you to put the camera down so there won't be any evidence.

Some of us are having a little fun at your expense. I hope you know that we all sincerely want Ben and Loki to live together peacefully and be best friends.

 

[Willowy]

LOL, in a few months, if he tries that, that rabbit is going to kick the fluff out of him! Adult rabbits are just not tolerant, and he looks like he'll grow up to be a big bad buck bunny. But if they bond (which will be unequal---rabbits have a tendency to bond to one or two other animals, whereas cats can have a lot of friends), the rabbit will allow him to groom him and play, but might still draw the line on neck biting. Cute pics!

 

[kittens mom]

Our gracie ignored us last night - didnt even sleep on the bed with us because hubby 'rescued' a spider from her playing with it last night . However if the individual has had house rabbits before they know about them ! Apparently they get quite aggressive themselves when older ! Someone put on a thread a neighbours dog killed a cat whilst playing so that put me off getting a dog... I think there is always going to be worry with mixed species!

I have seen it with friends. Things are fine for years and then the prey species ends up to put it nicely. Toast.
House Bunnies can inflict horrible damage on dogs and cats never under estimate them. However at the end of the day the rabbit is prey and a determined cat that may have been overstimulated by something else may go after what acts like prey.
One of my house rabbits would have taken down bigfoot to get a pizza crust.

 

[Kieka]

We had indoor/outdoor cats for years with outdoor rabbits (the rabbits had free range during the day and in hutches at night). Rabbits are very trainable and ours would even go back in their hutches during the day to use their potty dishes. The also were really good about going in their hutches at dark. The few times we got home late we would often find them waiting for dinner treats and hunkered down as if the hutches were closed up for the night. We usually kept them indoors as babies and they will chew on everything. One of ours electrocuted himself a few times finding cords we thought we covered. The lop ear rabbits and males tended to be more docile and relaxed around the cats.

One of our cats was a big time hunter bringing me many rats and birds frequently and he never messed with the rabbits. In our home though the rabbits were frequently adults when the cats came in and we usually had a bossy female rabbit who would take charge of teaching the cats their place. One of our female rabbits took to chasing the cat around the yard and that cat rarely relaxed at ground level in the back yard.

As long as proper supervision is maintained there isn't a problem with cats and rabbits (as adults). The cat though should be discouraged from biting the rabbit especially since it doesn't seem like the rabbit in this case is objecting.

 

[kittens mom]

We had indoor/outdoor cats for years with outdoor rabbits (the rabbits had free range during the day and in hutches at night). Rabbits are very trainable and ours would even go back in their hutches during the day to use their potty dishes. The also were really good about going in their hutches at dark. The few times we got home late we would often find them waiting for dinner treats and hunkered down as if the hutches were closed up for the night. We usually kept them indoors as babies and they will chew on everything. One of ours electrocuted himself a few times finding cords we thought we covered. The lop ear rabbits and males tended to be more docile and relaxed around the cats.

One of our cats was a big time hunter bringing me many rats and birds frequently and he never messed with the rabbits. In our home though the rabbits were frequently adults when the cats came in and we usually had a bossy female rabbit who would take charge of teaching the cats their place. One of our female rabbits took to chasing the cat around the yard and that cat rarely relaxed at ground level in the back yard.

As long as proper supervision is maintained there isn't a problem with cats and rabbits (as adults). The cat though should be discouraged from biting the rabbit especially since it doesn't seem like the rabbit in this case is objecting.

I agree. My rabbits were not what I expected in fact one of them had an intense dislike of my husband and would attack him when I was not in the house. Before cats my rats had free range for several hours and would come when called. You get out of an animal what you're willing to put in. Of course this goes right back to training your cat doesn't it.

 

[kittens mom]

That neck biting is going to end badly.

 

[Willowy]

That neck biting is going to end badly.

Not necessarily. I have a young male (cat not rabbit) who bites the girl kitties like that. He doesn't try to mount them so idk what that's about. But he isn't trying to kill them either. So it might just be a way of establishing dominance or trying to elicit a play response.

When I was a teenager my family had a big indoor-outdoor male Maine Coon lookalike who was a mighty hunter. He killed and ate gophers and small bunnies and mice and any other little critter he could find. But he never once got an adult rabbit or an adult squirrel--they aren't easy to catch or kill. And he never messed with my ferrets or pet rabbits, in fact he seemed scared of them. So if even he wouldn't mess with an adult rabbit, I'm inclined to say almost no cats will. And at 14 weeks, that rabbit is nearly grown (they fill out later but most growth is early on). So I think the risk is minimal.

 

[daisyd]

Please don't leave them alone yet please (or ever ). Gracie was playing with a spider. She'd watch it climb the wall then knock it back down to the floor and watch it climb up again etc.. She walked away after a while (boredom I suppose). She is scared of her own shadow and I dread to think what she would be like as an outside kitty . We open the door to let air in and she runs and hides from us as she scared !

Update - she just eat it !

 

[JMJimmy]

They can be fiends but if not, don't worry the rabbit can defend itself quite well as an adult (3 cats & a dog were all very respectful of our rabbit after it showed them who was boss)

 

[catspaw66]

The hunting instinct is in all cats, no matter how well fed. The Ladies never lack food, but any lizard, moth or bug spotted has at least two cats on it. The one that ends up with the prize growls at all the others to try to keep them away, but it can become a free-for-all to see which one can frolic it to death.

The neck biting I see is usually just a way to show dominance. I see all of them biting and being bitten. Usually, the biter slobbers on the bitee leaving wet fur. Yuck.