Ragdoll Cats and Bunny Rabbits
Recently a Floppycats reader inquired about how she could introduce her new Ragdoll kitten to a Bunny Rabbit. Please see photos of her rabbit, Charlie, in this post.
Here are her questions:
- When I get my kitten, is it best to introduce them to each other or is best for my kitten to eventually find out that a rabbit exists in the house? If it’s better to introduce them to each other, how would you go about the process without either of them possibly getting injured/hurt?
- Once my kitten knows there’s a rabbit in the house, how would you keep a curious kitten out of trouble? (Examples: The kitten torturing/teasing Charlie continuously, attempting to play with him.
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Charlie Charlie likes to hop around the house for about a half an hour to an hour and occasionally I put him on my lap while I watch tv. This is usually a part of our daily routine together, we’ve done this ever since I got him. I wouldn’t want this to change, being in a cage all day when it’s too sunny to be outside in his playpen, he needs the daily excercise. I’m worried my kitten may injure/hurt him, attempting to play with him. How would you go about this?
I believe all animals can live well together if they are taught mutual respect for one another. If you have cats and rabbits that live in harmony – please leave a comment about how you went about the introduction process
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
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I’ve had my bunny Cinders for around 3ish years now, he’s free roam in my room, and every morning and every night we have our cuddle time, like clockwork. We (we being me and my family) currently have two cats. Our one cat just completely ignores him, our other cat who is still a kitten has a crush on Cinders. She watches him constantly from under the door, and peers at him through the windows in my room, however, when I actually put them together, Cinders think he’s in some sort of cage fighting movie.. he just chases her around with his tail raised (sign of aggression) until she leaves.
I’m 14 at the moment, and I’ve been wanting a Ragdoll since I was 8. Getting him when I live by myself in my own apartment one day has always been the plan, but now that I think about it, now isn’t actually that bad of a time to get him. We have a pretty big house, all our animals are happy and are in excellent shape if I do say so myself, I’m not that busy, at least, my schedule will definitely be more packed when I’m 30, and there’s always someone at home throughout the day, and our budget isn’t that strained. The thing about getting a Ragdoll for me is that all our cats that we’ve had, have never connected with me, they were just being typical cats of course, but I want my baby who will cuddle up on the couch with me, and keep me company throughout the whole day. Plus, all the cats have always gone to my brother, LUCKILY, my brother is leaving for university in 3 months, and my little raggie (if I do happen to get him) won’t be able to go to my brother cause my brother will be non-existent *cough* I mean not around…
My mom also wants a little companion, and as the Ragdoll connects and cuddles with multiple people (usually, and hopefully not my brother when he comes back to visit). She also won’t rehome him the second that I go to university.
Basically the point that I’m trying to eventually get to, is that I don’t want to move Cinders out of my room, but I also want my raggie to sleep with me at night, Cinders’ reaction with our younger cat is a perfect example why I really want to bond them properly. Any advice?
Thanks for reading my life story
i have a ragdoll cat and a giant rabbit french lop and they get on perfect together. i introduced them slowly by letting them see each other through the cage to then hold the rabbit and letting shadow sniff. now they play together 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9HG1vLQLzA&list=UUyG5bEfclGNdnr_3bzm5y3A&index=0&feature=plcp
Hey Michelle, I thought your Bunny passed? Do you have a new one?
hi jenny yes i have a new one i actually got another rabbit from the same blood line 🙂 and she has just the same temperment.
FUN! Do you have videos on YouTube of her? I thought you got Paris from the lady down the street and weren’t sure of how to get another one or something? I am glad you figured it out! Did you adopt a bunny or did you get a full adult rabbit the second time around?
i adopted her . her name is holly but her birth cert is same relative of paris. she 1 year old now. i do have video’s of them together i need to upload them. but its scary how much holly and paris are alike you’d think was the same rabbit
I would think just as much care needs to be taken when dealing with the cat/bunny tandem when they are both adults. People forget cats are much less domesticated than dogs, and as such revert to their basic instincts more easily.
For years my brother bragged about how his cat was “trained” and could be around his uncaged parakeet, until one day he came home to find the empty cage overturned and nothing left but a cat with a mouthful of feathers.
While I wouldn’t expect two animals raised in close proximity to have too many issues down the road, a full-grown Ragdoll is certainly capable of injuring other animals. I would just be aware, and make sure any interaction is supervised if you want to be really safe.
The House Rabbit Society website has some great information about cats and rabbits! I’ve had cats and bunnies together for a total of about 20 years: two different rabbits, one who lived to age 11, one who is currently 9, along with several cats, one of whom was a Ragdoll.
The main thing to remember is that rabbits are quite territorial and they are social, group living animals who like to establish a hierarchy. IME the rabbit will usually be the dominant one in the relationship but they can get along wonderfully. My first rabbit mostly ignored the cats and vice versa, but my current one, a Holland Lop, *loved* to cuddle with our Ragdoll. He seemed to regard her as his mother and she would groom his face and tolerate his following her around and showing his love by running in circles around her. When she got fed up, she’d give him a (usually) gentle swat.
However, when we got a new cat who was adopted as a 2 year old and is quite timid, she ran from the bunny. He decided it was time to chase! Our younger cat weighs about twice as much as the rabbit, but even several years on he’s the one in charge and will chase after her, sending her scrambling for the top of the cat tree. If she stood her ground – as one of our other cats did – they’d sort things out quickly, I think. I suspect many kittens would be bold and curious enough to hold their ground.
One of my friends had an incident with her unneutered rabbit mounting the cat and getting a swipe with her claws that resulted in an infected cornea. However, overall they got along fine as well. There is nothing cuter than a rabbit and a cat lying side by side!
As far as the introduction goes, I’d let them take turns exploring and sniffing one another while the rabbit is in his hutch, and then while the kitten is in a carrier. Keep the kittens’ claws trimmed to be on the safe side and supervise well in the early stages. A kitten could be seriously injured by a kick or head butt from a rabbit. Hope this helps – and good luck!