Harvey7
Silver Member
We hope to move to a rural area in the next six months. We have two outdoor cats, the rural area is full of rabbits, how do they get along ?
Tks Harvey
Tks Harvey
Cats and rabbits
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reb
Veteran Member
I have seen cats kill young cottontails. The cats have nothing to fear from the rabbits, tho. 
Wil
Bronze Member
19 years ago when we moved out to our rural home we had cottontails and pheasants all around the area, now with all of the "outdoor" cats and dogs allowed to run rampant I have seen one pheasant and one cottontail in the past 3 years.
19 years ago we counted 13 different phasants one Saturday morning sitting in our back yard.
People are not protective enough of the natural rural wildlife.
And I have owned and loved my own dogs and cats but kept them at home.
19 years ago we counted 13 different phasants one Saturday morning sitting in our back yard.
People are not protective enough of the natural rural wildlife.
And I have owned and loved my own dogs and cats but kept them at home.
txdon
Super Star Member
Our cat will chase after a rabbit and the rabbit will run. I haven't seen what happens when the cat catches the rabbit, if he does. Our cats, one a transplanted city cat, roams free but never goes more than about 50 yards from the house. I would think the baby rabbits would have the same demise as mice.
ToadHill
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I had a friend years ago that had a black cat that weighed almost 20 lbs and wasn't fat. He used to bring rabbits home and leave them on the porch steps about once a month.
Soundguy
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We have barn cats and small dogs ( and big dogs ) Once in a blue moon the cats or a big dog will catch a juvenile rabbit. the small dogs on t e other hand ( jack russle terrorist and a papillion and a couple beagles ) .. now they will catch bunnies right and left..
soundguy
soundguy
Bird
Rest in Peace
When I was a kid, our cats were strictly outdoor cats; my dad never allowed a dog or cat into the house. And occasionally, a cat would bring a rabbit home, so we felt sure the cat had killed the rabbit. I recall reading that cats would sometimes kill rabbits, but that they had to stalk and sneak up on them because, if the rabbit saw the cat coming, the rabbit could easily outrun the cat.
jinman
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We have lots of feral cats in our area. We also have lots of rabbits and more squirrels than you can count. When I first bought this place, it was pretty uninhabited and I hardly ever saw a bunny or squirrel. What I did see a lot of was cougar, bobcat, and coyote tracks. Now that the area has become much more populous, the cougars and bobcats have really thinned out. The feral cats have increased and so have the populations of bunnies and squirrels. The field mice population seems to be about the same. My impression is that feral cats and domestic animals are far less a threat to the rodent population than a healthy amount of natural predators. As a matter of fact, I see more rabbits and squirrels killed by cars on the road than by the cats. I'm sure cats find nests and take young rodents, but the larger animals seem to escape.
My wife told me that she did see a roadrunner with a big fat lizard in it's mouth yesterday.
My wife told me that she did see a roadrunner with a big fat lizard in it's mouth yesterday.
Jimbrown
Veteran Member
Plain and simple the cats will catch some of the rabbits. Mine catch jack rabbits twice there size. eat what they want and give the rest to the dogs. I don't the dogs ever caught a rabbiit.
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reb
Veteran Member
MossRoad said:
My mistake. I haven't seen any of those British rabbits around here.
BobRip
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3RRL
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lol Moss, that was great.MossRoad said:
the_sandman_454
Silver Member
Hopefully the cats are "fixed". Too many cats in an area can have a negative effect on rabbits, birds and other similar animals.
If your area has coyotes or other bigger predators, they might not mind trying to snack on a cat if given an opportunity. I would think that is likely to be a much bigger danger to the cats than rabbits.
If your area has coyotes or other bigger predators, they might not mind trying to snack on a cat if given an opportunity. I would think that is likely to be a much bigger danger to the cats than rabbits.
Richard
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Wife went into basement shower several weeks ago. Called me at work, all freaked out...
Said she found the carcas of a rabbit inside the shower. Told me the place reminded her of Helter Skelter because there was blood all over the place. Fortunately, she finally had the nerve to toss the carcas outside.
Couple weeks later, we were in that same bathroom (also utility room) and she was going to clean the shower.
On a lark, she said "I feel like I need to pull the curtain back & make sure there's no rab....OHHHHH MYYYYYYYY GODDDDDDDDDDDDD"
Yes...there was another baby rabbit cowering in the corner and our cat was just sitting there purring at it...waiting for it to make a chase.
We removed the cat, closed the cat into the house (leave window open so 2 cats can come/go at will) and let baby rabbit go.
Third time (actually the first time since it happened 2 years ago)
Was cleaning up downstairs and smelled something dead. Figured was dead mouse but could NOT find it.
Long story short.... yet another rabbit although this one was more mature in size. Interestingly, it was missing its head. It was behind a box near the window where the cats come/go.
I don't know what happened to its head.
So, yeah....my experience is the cats might/will try to share some of their love with the local rabbit population.
Said she found the carcas of a rabbit inside the shower. Told me the place reminded her of Helter Skelter because there was blood all over the place. Fortunately, she finally had the nerve to toss the carcas outside.
Couple weeks later, we were in that same bathroom (also utility room) and she was going to clean the shower.
On a lark, she said "I feel like I need to pull the curtain back & make sure there's no rab....OHHHHH MYYYYYYYY GODDDDDDDDDDDDD"
Yes...there was another baby rabbit cowering in the corner and our cat was just sitting there purring at it...waiting for it to make a chase.
We removed the cat, closed the cat into the house (leave window open so 2 cats can come/go at will) and let baby rabbit go.
Third time (actually the first time since it happened 2 years ago)
Was cleaning up downstairs and smelled something dead. Figured was dead mouse but could NOT find it.
Long story short.... yet another rabbit although this one was more mature in size. Interestingly, it was missing its head. It was behind a box near the window where the cats come/go.
I don't know what happened to its head.
So, yeah....my experience is the cats might/will try to share some of their love with the local rabbit population.
BobRip
Elite Member
When our kittens were young, the mother cat brought in (through the cat door) a small rabbit about the size of the kittens. She let it go and one of the kittens grabbed it around the neck and looked real proud of his catch. We actually had one cat catch three baby rabbits in about an hour. He must have found the nest.
Bird
Rest in Peace
Bob, when we were living down in the country, a stray dog, a chow mix, adopted us. And one day he obvously found a nest because he brought me 3 baby rabbits, one at time, that didn't have their eyes open yet. And he didn't harm any of them; in fact, acted like he wanted me to take care of them.
BobRip
Elite Member
Bird said:
Bird, sounds like dogs are nicer than cats. My cat killed all of his catch.
Soundguy
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It's amazing what some animals will do.
So far I've read 2 stories ( from other countries.. 3rd world..e tc.. ) where a mother burried her newborn baby right after birth in a shallow grave, and a dog went and dug it up and alerted other people to it.
I've also seens pics/read a story of a cat that had just lost a litter of kittens that spontaniously adopted a litter of hedgehogs that were orphaned when the mom was killed crossing the road with them. Cat went and got the HH's and took them to live under the trailer of her owner. owner found them later and took pics. i had wondered abouth that story.. but guess it's plausable.... there were plenty of pics of the cat nursing and cleaning the HH's.. .. animals do some amazing things..
It's people that usually disappoint me..
soundguy
So far I've read 2 stories ( from other countries.. 3rd world..e tc.. ) where a mother burried her newborn baby right after birth in a shallow grave, and a dog went and dug it up and alerted other people to it.
I've also seens pics/read a story of a cat that had just lost a litter of kittens that spontaniously adopted a litter of hedgehogs that were orphaned when the mom was killed crossing the road with them. Cat went and got the HH's and took them to live under the trailer of her owner. owner found them later and took pics. i had wondered abouth that story.. but guess it's plausable.... there were plenty of pics of the cat nursing and cleaning the HH's.. .. animals do some amazing things..
It's people that usually disappoint me..
soundguy
