The unexpected love affair

Monek Marie

As many of you know I have the one rescued rabbit. I was very hesitant to take it as I was not sure what was all wrong with it and if it could cause health issues with any of my other animals. But here she is and at this point living in the house.

At first I had her in a small cage but she did much better with more attention so she ended up roaming the one room with supervision. I have taught her how to use her own litter box and she does not chew items so she is doing ok. I am not sure if she will ever be quite the same as a normal rabbit but she loves attention and her care is not extreme. Time will tell if she ever totally recovers.

Well, I was concerned about our cat. He's a rescue and probably at one time had to forage wild animals to survive. How would he react to a rabbit? He was curious and somewhat jealous. After a few weeks, he tried to share his catnip mouse but the rabbit did not appreciate the generous gesture.

Little Man (the cat) lost all his cat friends in the last two years and recently the dog, which he idolized. I think he enjoyed this new ball of fur but really did not know what to think about it.

In the last two days they have become inseparable. I will look down and they are side by side or the cat is curled up and the rabbit is resting in the curl. It's definitely a love affair of sorts. As I type the rabbits has decided to run sprints in the den by me and the cat is trying to entice the rabbit to play with the catnip mouse, to no avail.

I have been trying to take a photo of the two but the cat is camera shy - the rabbit is a camera hog.

Life with animals is always an adventure

RustBeltCowgirl

Sometimes the most unlikely combinations can be the best of friends.

COWLOVINGIRL

That is amazing!

water2world

@Denise Grant I was wondering how the rabbit was doing---Sounds like it really lucked out ---having you AND the bonus of a cat friend!

Hopefully you will be able to get a picture, I would love to see them!

blevinandwomba

Please, please, please please.... can't you sneak a picture? I want to see the kitty cuddling with the bunny!

I gave one of my kittens to a coworker's sister last fall. My coworker told me that she has since become devoted to her sister's cockapoo, following it everywhere.

Tave

How cute! Thanks for sharing, and I'm looking forward to the pictures when you can get them:)

ltwickey

Great story! How sweet! Thank you for sharing!

frogvalley

Looking forward to seeing the pictures. What a great cuddly moment!

vickeym

I love this. At one time I had a male St. Bernard and a Male Siamese cat who were pretty much inseparable. It was hilarious to watch the dog chase the cat into the living room and the cat run up and under the recliner only to come over the top and end up chasing the St. Bernard back across the house going the other direction. This would repeat several times until they decided it was time for a break, or a snack or something. Once they got started you pretty much had to warn them if you were attempting to move through the house or risk getting barreled over by the pair of them. I sure miss those two.

Cornelius

That is adorable! Please post a picture if you can ever get the cat to cooperate!

Monek Marie

This is the best I can do. The cat just plainly will not cooperate

RustBeltCowgirl

He doesn't want a photo. It could be used as blackmail. A cat snuggling up with a rabbit?!!! He'd lose not only his "man" card, but his "cat" card as well.

JennyT Upstate South Carolina

I love the story @Denise Grant! Thank you so much for sharing.😊

vickeym

Adorable, but the cat sure doesn't look happy about the picture. Maybe if we promise not to tell on him. 🤐

Monek Marie

The two are together most of the time now. The rabbit rips through the house now. I have it litter trained. I am not sure what to do with the little lady. I don't think it can go back out to a cage (stresses it) and I can keep a good eye on it in the house. I guess time will tell what will happen.

She is much better but somehow not quite the same as a normal rabbit. I am still treating it and will make a mix of natural rabbit health plants once more is growing.

JennyT Upstate South Carolina

Maybe this rabbit was never meant to be a normal rabbit, but as a companion to the cat? Just something to consider. Like making lemonade when life gives you lemons.

Something I'm trying to remind myself of as well, almost daily it seems.😊

Monek Marie

@JennyT Yes, I have considered the rabbit may have had another purpose. I have just had to decide it that purpose fits in well here. It would make a perfect companion animal.

The cat and rabbit have learned to play in the last day or so. They play tag. The cat finds the rabbit and gently pats its head, the rabbit takes off after it. Then the rabbit will chase the cat,

shllnzl

@Denise Grant The animals must be a joy to watch. Hopefully your cat's prey instinct will not set in. Perhaps the rabbit's large size and slower movements will keep the hunter from coming out. Forgive me if I sound negative -- the animal lover in me wants your pet relationship to endure.

My cat has learned to ignore my parrot. My understanding is that this situation would not be true if I had smaller, faster moving birds like parakeets. (My cat also went through having water dumped on her head, her toenail bitten and being growled at before deciding that she wasn't interested.)

Unfortunately for me, my newest rescue cat lived and hunted bigger birds in the wild. Humans who saw him there claimed he had a working relationship with a hawk to flush pigeons for a cut of the meat. He will not be trusted with the parrot under any circumstances.

RustBeltCowgirl

I agree with @JennyT. You have an opinion on what should be normal in rabbits, but that doesn't mean that what you see isn't her "normal". She is still loved and not thrown away.

Monek Marie

@shllnzl I agree you have to really watch them and see if they really can co-exist. And with little mans feral past I was very concerned. But he really seems to like her and has lost all his cat and dog friends in the last year so I think he was lonely. They really do seem to get along. And with that said, when I leave the house and both are alone they will be separated, lol

My last dog could not be anywhere near a chicken or it was gone. Once in a while one wopuld get loose and I had to check first before she went out. Annie was always on a leash as she was a runner but oncwe in a while she would get loose and it was down to the coop asap. Certain instincts are just inborn.

And yes they are fun to watch.

@RustBeltCowgirl I am not much for the title of normal. What is it really anyways? The rabbit is happy and improved so Its day by day and see what happens.

flowerpower *

@Denise Grant Everyone loves these odd couple animal stories.

RustBeltCowgirl

@Denise Grant How's our little miss doing this week?

Monek Marie

@RustBeltCowgirl She is doing very well. She is still not quite the same as a regular rabbit but she is not a mess. From what I have heard a bad case of mites could take 6 months to get over and some will always need a bit of extra mite control.

She has calmed down, has a great personality but she does seem to have bad eyes. Not really a big issue but she looks for her water and food.

So on another funny animal story. I fed my one batch of ducks, looked at them to see if they were all happy but something bothered me. I have a rabbit cage that sits up to the side and is about 1 foot high. Up there in with my one rabbit is a duck.

The rabbit has a look on its face of "Get it out of here!"

RustBeltCowgirl

Good thing that she has become a house bunny. And is getting the best of care.

gardneto76

I love animal stories like this. Thanks for sharing with us.

Cornelius

I love how adorable that rabbit is!

Annie Kate

Love those stories.

We had a rabbit growing up and it loved the dog. When my mom would call the dog for food, he'd race to the house, and the rabbit would chase after him. It was the craziest sight, a rabbit chasing a dog!