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How to Deter a Troublesome Cat

Beapig

Mama Doe
I live in a street with a ridiculous number of cats. I have seen probably 30 different cats in our garden over the months. We knew this when we moved here, so when we took on Ham & Bea, I was worried that it might be a bit of an issue.

However, none of these cats have ever shown any interest in them. I've been able to let them out free range in an ever expanding run, the cats will walk by, and these days keep a wide birth, because Ham is convinced he IS a cat and loves to chase after them.

Given that these 30 cats have been no issue, when I adopted a rescue cat 2 months ago, I thought that he would also be no problem at all. Sadly, I happened to pick a bunny obsessed cat! (a cat who I love to pieces already, but he loves the bunnies even more than I love him)

He isn't aggressive to them, he doesn't want to hurt them - he just wants to play. He's three years old and very playful and sprightly. We have a pear tree in our garden which is a good 15ft, and the first thing he did when he was allowed outside for the first time was climb right to the top of the tree (oh, my nerves!) - he has a lot of energy.

I suspected that he would be interested in the bunnies to begin with and then lose interest. But he is still obsessed with them. It's okay with Mr. Hamo, because he is equally curious and will give it back as good as he gets. If Ham chases the cat he'll freak out and run away. But it's like a game to him, so he comes back for more. Ham is a very big rabbit and loves cats, so I'm not worried about him at all.

Beatrice on the other hand is a small Nethie and is a more nervous rabbit in general. She's scared of Merlin and will run away from him at full speed. Which Merlin loves, because he just wants to chase them all day long. He never pounces on them or touches them, he always stays a good foot away but like I say, it's a game to him. And it's really setting Beatrice on edge. She's becoming too scared to leave the hutch and graze, which makes me really sad. I feel like she's even more scared of me now, as if Merlin will be right behind me every time. She isn't scared of any other cats, just him.

What can I do about this? Right now I keep the bunnies shut in their 10x8 permanent run when Merlin is out, and if he comes in to sleep for a few hours then I'll lock the cat flap and let the bunnies out to graze. I'm not sure what else I can do really. Will he calm down eventually? He just loves to chase anything that moves at all. 30 cats in the street that don't look twice at them, and then I go an adopt the most bunny obsessed cat on the planet :roll:
 
It’s a difficult one when it’s your cat that’s causing the problem! It is, as you’ve found, very difficult, if not impossible, to stop a cat doing something they want to do. I have five cats and only one of them has ever caused me any concerns re the rabbits. My other cats are pretty laid back and my rabbits very confident, though I’m always with them when they are out anyway. Lily on the other hand (who didn’t have the best of starts in life and came to me as an extremely skinny mum of two five week old kittens after her owners moved abroad - and was on her second litter aged 14 months :? ) has a few psychological problems and became mildly obsessed with the bunnies. She follows them around and then starts yowling when they turn round to investigate her. She has never attacked and this behaviour has lessened greatly in the two years since I got her. I think the only thing you can do is keep them separate as much as possible and really supervise if they are out together briefly. You may notice Merlin settles down but better to be safe than sorry.
 
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