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You may be an animal lover and have filled your home with a variety of interesting pets. Is it possible to have a house rabbit live safely and thrive with Fido and Whiskers—who, as a dog and cat, are inherently hunters? Yes, it is! With care and training, your dog, cat or both can learn to co-exist with your beautiful long-eared hopper.

Adopt with care
The first step in encouraging peace and harmony between your house rabbit and other pets is to make those initial choices carefully. If you are introducing the rabbit into a home where a dog and/or cat already roam, take care when picking out which bunny to adopt. Spend some time at the shelter, rescue center or pet store. Choosing a rabbit that seems relatively comfortable and relaxed is key.

If the dog is the newbie in the family, select a breed (or mix) that is not bred for hunting. Again, if the dog is overly excited or skittish, perhaps there is another pooch who would be a better fit for your mix of creatures. Yes, kittens are playful, but they are often smaller than most rabbits when young and may be easier to train to leave the bunny alone.

Separate rooms are best
No matter whether it’s the rabbit, cat or dog who is new to the family, setting up separate rooms or spaces is essential. This not only gives the new pet a territory all his or her own, it also gives the other animals a chance to safely sniff out the new tenant. Puppies often like their own “den” which can be helpful when housetraining them. New kittens or cats would probably appreciate a soft blanket in a cozy corner of a bedroom with food, water and litter box nearby. And your house rabbit needs to have his or her own space no matter what. Even if the house rabbit will eventually be free roaming, it is important that he or she has a home base in the form of a cage, pen, or litter box/toweled area.

Start out small with the introductions
When your pets have their own territories, they can begin to get to know each other from a more relaxed and assured energy. Start out with short, supervised and ready to train meetings. Introduce your dog to the house rabbit with the puppy or dog on leash and kept in as calm a mood as possible. Let the bunny come to the dog for sniffs and sizing up. Using whatever redirection method you use with your dog, keep him or her under control. It is really the rabbit’s lead in this meeting.

If you’ve ever lived with a kitten or cat, you probably know that they are really tricky to train. Squirt bottles filled with water work well. If your cat will tolerate a leash, use that during the introduction times with your rabbit. Just as with the dog, let the rabbit come to the cat to initiate the sniffing. You might try petting your cat while the rabbit checks him or her out. If the cat raises a paw or tries to pounce on the bunny, feel free to use the squirt bottle—the water deterrent can be quite effective.

Increase these supervised visits in duration until you feel like your rabbit, dog or cat are more familiar with one another. Stay consistent with the redirection if your dog or cat acts inappropriately with the rabbit. It will probably take a few months for this total process. Even after that time, it is advisable that you stay tuned in to the animal relations.

Believe it or not, with consistent and thorough training, your house rabbit, dog and/or cat can learn to live quite peacefully together. In fact, house rabbits have been known to drive a cat “sister or brother” from their pen space!

Author's Resource:

Star Baker is a free-lance writer who lives in Central Ohio with house rabbit Buns, 3 cats, 3 fish, 2 sons and 1 husband. Star and her teenage son provide helpful and creative house rabbit facts, experiences and advice at www.rabbitinfocenter.com

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