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How to stop my cat going to attack the rabbits?!!? HELP!

zayna1

Warren Scout
At first my cat ignored them, but now, he goes up to big bun (whos almost his size now, and he can defend himself) and sniffs him, then bites him! Today he tried to do it to the little bunny too! I'm so scared he's going to hurt one of them. When he approaches them, I shout, make a loud noise to distract him or try to scare him away, but he just keeps on coming back no matter what. I don't know what to do! The rabbits need their free range time, and I can't keep the cat out of the living room because he needs just as much love and attention as they do, considering they are left home alone from 7:30am until 4:30pm...He just keeps going back...i scare him, he walks away, then he sees them and runs towards them again!
 
You need to keep them apart. It won't do the cat any harm to be in another part of the house whilst the bunnies are exercising.
 
You need to keep them apart. It won't do the cat any harm to be in another part of the house whilst the bunnies are exercising.

I agree.

Maybe over time you can then reintroduce them, perhaps with a water spray handy just in case he attacks them.
 
I also have cats and bunnies, when the buns were smaller, I had to keep them apart, as they grew, we introduced them again and oh what a surprise, the cats were then scared of the bunnies.

They really tollerate each other well though, there is the occasional chase but this is more playing than anything, the cats are brothers so play fight all the time and I think they cant understand why the buns dont play more.

I might get shot for saying this but when you are around, I think you should leave them together more and allow them to get more used to each other, the buns have seen the cats off a couple of times.

I know there is always exceptions to every rule and they may not get on, but chances are that they will. Obviously dont leave them together when you are not there but if its any help, my cats often sleep with the out door buns and they live happily along side the indoor buns.

Sometimes, they even groom them. Its an amazing sight.

I hope it works out for you, I know how stressfull it is. The other thing is that there are a lot of cats in our area and they come into the garden, again I didnt leave the buns until I was sure there wasnt going to be a problem but there isnt one.

I just think that the more you try to keep them apart, the harder it gets, especially with house buns, its impossible to keep them separate all the time.

Good luck, keep us posted.
 
If your cat is actually biting the buns, you will need to keep them apart. A cat's mouth is full of harmful bacteria that could cause a lot of problems.

Could you maybe buy a large metal run for the buns, the ones with the lids, so they can exercise and the cat can still be in the room with you?
 
If your cat is actually biting the buns, you will need to keep them apart. A cat's mouth is full of harmful bacteria that could cause a lot of problems.

Could you maybe buy a large metal run for the buns, the ones with the lids, so they can exercise and the cat can still be in the room with you?

Exactly this, as are their nails.

I had a rabbit who was swiped once by a cat (only once, tiny scratches), and then groomed, and he died the next day due to the whole fiasco (after two vets trips and the necessary medication). Bites can also easily abscess, which, in rabbits, can be a nightmare to get rid of.

Its incredibly risky to have them together, especially with your cat reacting like that.
 
Definitely keep them separate. Like Sky said, I would worry about abscesses. Rabbits have extremely delicate skin and the cat could very easily break the skin and then it could get infected, likely from the cat's nails/mouth. Also the cat could scratch the rabbit's eye and cause serious damage. or grab them with his front paws and box them with his back paws (with the claws out). This can happen so quickly you couldn't have time to stop him.
 
oh gosh, i knew bites were harmful to buns just like any other animal, but not that terrible! I'm deffinately keeping them well away from eachother :D
 
What a shame the cat is being hostile!

Cat bites can cause awful abscesses so weedug is quite right to say that you should avoid the chance of this happening at all costs!

Abscesses in rabbits can be extremely hard to treat, and can be fatal in some cases if the treatment doesn't work.

Keep a very close eye on the rabbit that may have been bitten - check it all over with your fingers to make sure no lumps (abscesses) appear over the next few days.
 
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