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Are cats dangerous to rabbits?

R

Roseberry

Mama Doe
Hi Everyone, I am in need of an opinion on the above. I don't have cats myself but my next door neighbour has 3. I know that many people on here have both and that they get on ok, but I am worried about my next door neighbours cats attacking my bunnies. The cat's owners also think it is likely.

This affects whether or not I buy a run, or at least how urgently I think I need one (not flush with £ atm) as I currently just let them free range in my small but bunny proofed garden, when I let them out of the hutch, but because of the cats I feel I have to watch them the whole time which is not ideal (although fun, it prevents me from doing constuctive things!).

Any thoughts on this?
 
Cats will attack a rabbit, and if they get a bit in it can be fatal. They can also scare rabbits and give them heart attacks I think.

Unless a cat is in a house with rabbits and has been trained accordingly I would be careful. I have similar problems with cats in the area, so I just stay outside with the rabbits. :)
 
mattyp said:
Cats will attack a rabbit, and if they get a bit in it can be fatal. They can also scare rabbits and give them heart attacks I think.

Unless a cat is in a house with rabbits and has been trained accordingly I would be careful. I have similar problems with cats in the area, so I just stay outside with the rabbits. :)
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Not necessarily. I've found most cats have absolutely no interest in rabbits. I have had 11 cats with no interest in them, I didn't have to train them. And we have had a lot of strays and never (when I had outdoor rabbits) did I find stray cats trying to hurt them or anything like that.

Yes, you should be careful just in case but don't think most cats are going to hurt rabbits if given the chance.
 
This is completely personal to my buns but they chase cats out of 'their' garden. It is very funny to watch. Don't know what the general rule is though.:wave:
 
I have spotted next doors cats putting their paws through the fence, and many times perched up on the fence looking ready to pounce!... Its a 6 foot fence and a narrow garden. Would they pounce on the bunnies?
 
I wouldn't risk it personally. If you get a covered run then the bunnies are safe & you will have peace of mind.:)
 
Could you ask the cats owners to 'cat proof' their garden? If they can't, perhaps they'd be prepared to help with the cost of buying a run for the bunnies?
 
thats a good idea..

I did think of putting something like pigeon spikes along the fence, but is that cruel to the cats?
 
I would personally get a covered run. Not only are cats a risk, but foxes and birds of prey too (depending where you live) if you free range your rabbits. In a covered run, most cats will ignore rabbits, and to be honest, they can't do much anyway. My rabbits chase my cat away from their enclosed run by running at the wire. :lol:

I also wouldn't put spikes on the fence either, that is cruel to the cats when its their natural instinct to roam. It's much kinder and safer to get a covered run for your rabbits.
 
I don't think you could use pigeon spikes as they're pretty lethal but you could use the plastic 'prikka' strips that are specifically designed for cats.
 
William said:
Not necessarily. I've found most cats have absolutely no interest in rabbits. I have had 11 cats with no interest in them, I didn't have to train them. And we have had a lot of strays and never (when I had outdoor rabbits) did I find stray cats trying to hurt them or anything like that.

Yes, you should be careful just in case but don't think most cats are going to hurt rabbits if given the chance.
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I was speaking generally of course, it's not something you'd risk with a cat that you didn't personally know.
 
Depends on the cat and the size of the bunny. I once had to help extract a baby bunny from behind the boiler that next door's siamese brought in to their house. But I have also seen an adult rabbit chase off a cat. I give my buns supervised lawn time in a run and they get nervous when they see a cat. Hopefully when they are in their aviary they feel more secure because we get quite a few cats in our garden. :(
 
if you have baby buns then yes a larger risk,

but otherwise it does depend on the cats and your buns some cats get on others dont

my bigs used to try an mount my neighbours cat, and if any other neighbours cat tried to get in the garden the other cat would chase them out :lol:


i had two at my mums a neighbourhoodfull of cats, all fine except one evil thing who got drenched quite a lot, the plastic fence edgers and thorns were no challange to this kitty
 
mattyp said:
I was speaking generally of course, it's not something you'd risk with a cat that you didn't personally know.
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Yeah, I know, I just wanted to say that because cats can be a bit misunderstood by people who have prey animals :) Just wanted people to know that some cats can be great with rabbits.
 
benkat said:
I wouldn't risk it personally. If you get a covered run then the bunnies are safe & you will have peace of mind.:)
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^^Agreed

My cats used to be more interested in snuggling in the hay than they were in the rabbits, however, cats are stalking animals, rabbits are prey, and although rabbits are a bit on the large side for stalking, a cats bite is full of germs and can leave an infected wound which could be fatal, so I would never leave them to their own devices.
 
I like cats but dont own one. The thing that worries me is that both my buns are very friendly and would probably run up to a cat who entered our garden as this is what they do with our dogs.

Would be very odd to see a cat in our garden anyways, 5 dogs roaming free puts them off & the water gun that lies on our window ledge! :lol: (watergun used to spray the pesky magpies!)
 
I supervise all Bramble's outdoor uncovered free ranging, as we have a few cats near us.

Our neighbours cat was actually in our back garden close to Bramble's hutch and run on Saturday night, so I'm afraid I did squirt it with some water. I felt kind of sorry for it, as we don't think it had been fed all weekend, but at the same time I don't want to encourage it to come in our garden.
 
I would get a run for when you are not around to watch them just incase a cat does take an interest and attack them...
My Poppy attacks cats that come into the garden so I can't let her free range without watching her, she did quite a bit of damage to next doors cat last time!! :shock:
Needless to say, he hasn't been back.
 
Roseberry said:
thats a good idea..

I did think of putting something like pigeon spikes along the fence, but is that cruel to the cats?
Click to expand...

I was thinking of the plastic flexible spikes not the metal ones!!

I love cats too, I grew up with one :) I like the fact that they are able to free range in my garden as they can binky etc. and so bunny 500s which they cant really do in a run.
 
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