# THE DANGERS OF CATS WITH RABBITS! PLEASE EVERYONE READ BASIL'S STORY!!!!!



## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 1, 2012)

Basil was a beautiful happy 7 month old mini rex. He was loved very much by his family and was full of life and binkies.
On July,30,2012 his owners two year old male cat who had never been aggressive attacked Basil. The attack lasted all of 1 minute with a scratch to Basil's nose, a mild bite mark on his ear that did not puncture and a mild scratch just under his left eye.

I was in my friends home when the attach took place and I calmed him down and doctored his scratches with anti bacterial ointment from my bunny first aid kit.

The injuries did not look serious enough for the vet in fact they kinda looked like paper cuts. We returned Basil to his cage and I told my friend to cover the cage and keep him quiet. Yesterday July,31,2012 my friend came to me in the evening and said Basil was very sick. I went to him to find a strange creamy fluid coming from the scratches and his eye was swollen shut. My friend did not have the money to vet him so Jason and I agreed to vet him as soon as the specialist was opened in the a.m.

When I went this morning to pick him up we found that he had passed away. Basil died due to toxins carried in the cats claws when he received the scratches.

I spoke with Sas (Pipp) and she went threw the same thing with a bunny who received very minor scratches as well and was vetted for them. The fatality rate for this kind of injury can by as high as 80 percent. It has been described to Sas as a lethal injection.
Please be careful when you have bunnies and cats living together. Basil's family is heart broken for his lose and the word needs to be spread. Rest in peace sweet Basil bun.....ink iris:


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## MiniLopHop (Aug 1, 2012)

Oh that is so very sad! Did the cat and rabbit play together before or just cohabitate? I think it would break my cat's heart if I took "his" bunnies away. They so love to play together.


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 1, 2012)

Yes Basil and Hova played together often and would chase and tussle. But Hova was never aggressive. Hova was sitting on a chair and Basil on the floor when Hova just snapped and truly attacked him. It was not play, we had to hit Hova with a broom to get him off Basil.
The bunny pictured is Basil but the cat is Ginger, another kitty that Basil lived with


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## MiniLopHop (Aug 1, 2012)

Wow, thanks for the warning Katie. I have to discuss this with Joshua and think it over. :confused2:


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## Sweetie (Aug 1, 2012)

That is very sad. My two cats always move away whenever the rabbits approach them and I always praise them for that. I never leave them unattended with each other. Was the cat neutered? Most cats have a high prey drive and cannot help but see a rabbit as prey. Cats are predator animals and rabbits are prey animals.

One other thing that needs to be known: never leave a rabbit and cat unsupervised for any length of time because attacks like this can happen within a blink of an eye.


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 1, 2012)

I know how you feel Brandy. I have always made a joke about Fraggles and her kitty love but Frags will never be exposed to a cat again. Same goes for Muppet. In fact we need to find a new bun sitter as the current sitter has cats. I spent most of the night with Basil last night and will NOT risk my girls suffering threw that. I did have some left over tramadol from Muppet's last fiasco and gave him an 8th of a tab which relaxed him and soothed his pain. I was so hoping we could get him to Seattle exotic but he passed around 6am.


Yes Hova is neutered and Ginger is spayed.


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## MiniLopHop (Aug 1, 2012)

The one good thing in our case is that Victoria avoids the rabbits in general. Andre loves them and grooms, but when he plays he never touches the rabbits. They take turns chasing each other but if Gary suddenly stops and turns around then Andre runs away. I have never seen either of them bat, swipe, or bite at the rabbits. 

I am thinking about getting the cats soft paws though so there couldn't be an accident. I don't really see seperating them as a viable option.


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## littl3red (Aug 1, 2012)

Is this a problem with declawed cats? My boyfriend loves cats and I (obviously) love rabbits, so I guess we'll have to work something out...


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 1, 2012)

The pus was coming from both the bite mark and the scratches so I am assuming that a cat bite can also spell trouble.


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## Bunnykinz (Aug 1, 2012)

Yes, cat bites carry lots of germs.


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## Blue eyes (Aug 1, 2012)

*I_heart_Fraggles wrote: *


> two year old male cat who had never been aggressive attacked Basil. The attack lasted all of 1 minute with a scratch to Basil's nose, a mild bite mark on his ear that did not puncture and a mild scratch just under his left eye.



What a sad story . What strikes me and should serve as warning, is that there was no prior warning or hint of aggression AND the attack occurred so suddenly and quickly. I can certainly understand how anyone with a cat and rabbit would have justified concerns now.


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## agnesthelion (Aug 1, 2012)

Cats carry lots of dangerous bacteria:yuck (no offense to cat owners)

But pregnant women are advised to not clean cat boxes.

My friend broke up a scuffle between her two cats and accidentally got bit and clawed. Again, didn't even look that serious! She treated the cuts at home and went on her way.

She ended up in the hospital and almost lost her hand due to infection. No joke!! 
I am so sorry to hear about this prescious bun  but this is a great reminder that it is important to careful around cats!


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## BunnyLove89 (Aug 1, 2012)

So sad.  I have 2 cats, both declawed, but only my youngest cat is allowed near Weston. They're about the same size and i'm always right there with them. My oldest cat might do okay with him, but I don't want to risk it. He is around 20 pounds and has hunting tendancies.


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## Kipcha (Aug 1, 2012)

Poor little bun  Must have been a terrible shock to the family when the cat attacked...

We don't have cats, and never will due to this very reason (I know a few people who have had experiences similar to this). I'll never allow them to be exposed to cats as I've seen what the bites even do to people. A woman I work with grooms and she did a cat that bit her, it swelled up and was horrible looking for days.


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## eclairemom (Aug 1, 2012)

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. Thoughts going out to Basil's family.


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## LakeCondo (Aug 1, 2012)

If this does happen to anybunny, get to a vet ASAP for something stronger than what we can have on hand.


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 1, 2012)

We did try to get him in last night but the exotic E-vet was out of town so the office said they would not see him. I did everything I could to try to support him until Seattle exotic opened but it was to late.


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## SOOOSKA (Aug 1, 2012)

OMG what a horrible sad story. Like others I worked with someone who's cat attacked her, she got so badly infected.

I'm glad i'mallergic to cats (mysister and niece are deathly allergic, throat swells) so I will never have a cat in my dwelling. Just have to make sure any man I date does not have cats.

Rest In Peace Basil.:rainbow:

Susan:cry4:


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 1, 2012)

must keep bumping


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## blondiesmommie (Aug 1, 2012)

My cat killed my rabbit when I was a child, I'll never forget. :cry1:


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## MyBabyHasPaws (Aug 1, 2012)

Same goes for dogs.. I had a rabbit killed by a dog when I was a child ..horrific. me and cats just dont get along.

So sorry for your loss.


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 2, 2012)




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## Cheyrul (Aug 2, 2012)

I have a few questions, is Hova a strictly inside cat? And has Hova been to a vet lately?
Generally speaking most cats do not aggressively attack for no reason. Cats, like rabbits, sometimes have hidden health issues that make them cranky and look like they attack without provocation or very slight provocation. Cats can have inflammation or infection in the lining of their bladders, for example, and there are no true test for it, just behaviors that cause people to consider them [email protected]@holes (I was one of these people because my seemingly healthy cat peed everywhere but the box, for years. Simple long term antibiotics was the cure after talking to a rescue because it was ditch him after 14 years or kill him in the most non-humane way when catching him peeing in clean laundry. 
Ever watch MY CAT FROM HELL? with Jackson Galaxy, he has saved many cats people hated by addressing hidden health issues or trauma.
I would to know more because there is no way I can get rid of our cats, they do not really interact with the rabbits much, because the bunnies scare them, as they have been attacked by the rabbits for no reason that we could tell.


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 2, 2012)

Yes Hova is strictly indoors. He lives in a high rise condo and is never outside and actually yes he was at the vet about a month ago for his shots and wellness check....It is truly a mystery why he attacked Basil.


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## Cheyrul (Aug 2, 2012)

How sad.

My cat also had wellness checks and checks looking for UTIs because of the peeing, he checked out fine. 
I really like the Jackson Galaxy show because sometimes he picks up of things that most people, vets included miss. One show he somehow knew a cat had vision issues by the way she acted, turned out she was mostly blind so it was like she was being scared by her family all the time. There was another that when they touched his hind quarters he became defensive, aggressive when people continued to "massage" his back, discovered arthritis or something, I don't remember.

Is there anything preventive cat and bunny owners can do? At this point, rehoming either is not an option.


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## MiserySmith (Aug 2, 2012)

I'd never get mad at cats over something like this.
It is sad, and yes they do need to be monitored together.. but it's no reason to hate cats, and not all cats have prey drives like that.
My cats don't go in the bedroom anymore since moving, they aren't allowed so Peppy no longer interacts with them, but they got along swimmingly in the past. Even if the cats were grumpy and swatted at him they never once had claws out.

It's a freak accident, and it's sad.. but it's by no means a regular occurrence and I wouldn't let it change my perspective of kitties in the least.


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 2, 2012)

I don't think it should change anyone's feelings on cats at all. This was a freak accident and Hova is not being blamed. Nobody should start dumping cat's because of this. But people do need to be made aware of the danger and take precautions to keep there bun safe from such an injury. We NEVER thought Hova would hurt Basil he is a sweet loving cat with a fun personality. The purpose of this thread is to educate on the dangers of even the most mild scratches.


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## Samara (Aug 2, 2012)

:sad:


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## Nancy McClelland (Aug 2, 2012)

:tears2: I'm bummed out. Guess you have to treat them like we used to do with coral scratches. We'd use a scrub brush and lots of vinegar and then antibiotic--hurt like the devil but kept the swelling and infection down. Of course, you'd need to use an anti-b instead of vinegar.


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## Pipp (Aug 2, 2012)

So sad. :sad:

The problem is usually more the bites than the scratches, the bacteria in a cat's mouth is deadly to bunnies, but both require immediate care. Cat bites are lethal something like 80% of the time. Its hard to see them because the teeth can be like needles. 

I will continue telling people that cats and rabbits will most often get along, but they need to be aware that even one brief spat can be deadly. 

If there is an altercation of any kind, the rabbit should be taken to a vet (preferably within four hours) and get substantial doses of antibiotics even if the injuries appear minor. 

Some vets aren't aware of the danger, so clients should be pro-active. 

My Scooter attacked a cat, his ear was in her mouth and she chomped down on his ear while screeching. The vet diagnosed it as a hematoma and Scooter died. 


sas :rip: Basil


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 2, 2012)

Thank you for the input Sas. Jason and I payed to have Basil cremated yesterday so Anna could keep his ashes.


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## BlueCamasRabbitry (Aug 2, 2012)

My cat has killed a few wild rabbits that run around our yard. One was a baby. I got after him for it, but it is a natural instinct and so I don't blame him. 

He stays away from MY rabbits though. When they are around him he could care less and more often than not he makes a disgusted face and turns the other way. If he ever showed signs of wanting to attack my rabbits, he would get in a heap more trouble. 

I'd never not have cats because I have rabbits. There are some dogs I would not own (not breeds, just dogs based on personality) if they had a prey instinct to go after my rabbits. I've been lucky that the dogs I have owned were fine with rabbits. 

Emily


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 3, 2012)

must keep bumping


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## Anaira (Aug 3, 2012)

Perhaps sticky it?


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## MagPie (Aug 3, 2012)

Some of you might remember when I first got Harvey he got scratch/bitten while chasing my cat. Cat was defending himself it was not a prey thing. Anyway due to a bad vet his ear got infected and he almost lost it. He still has scars from it and bald patches on his ear. He gets along great with the cats. He likes to play and chase the bigger cat (the one that scratched him). However now the cat enjoys the attention. My other cat is not a bitter or scratcher. I trust him to never hurt Harvey or really anyone. I do keep their claws trimmed regularly and do not let them interact with Harvey without me there. I do trust my cats.

Now I have had cats all my life. I have been scratched, not bitten hard, and never once had a problem. I will never be without a cat nor will I think they are awful. This would never ever make me get rid of my cats or Harvey. I've been thinking about soft paws anyway because Merlin, my older cat, has a bad habit of clawing my sofa.


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Aug 4, 2012)

bump


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## Rescuemom (Aug 4, 2012)

I would like to note that this sudden attack from cats isn't entirely uncommon. A seemingly simple thing that causes any kind of change or stress can actually lead up to this without you ever realizing it was going to happen. I'm very very sorry for the loss of Basil and send many hugs to Basil's family.

I had a similar experience, but with my dog... I own a 25 lb Beagle. My aunt got two kittens when I lived with her. These two cats were raised for the first two years of their life with Charlie(Beagle). When I moved out, Charlie and I still visited with high frequency. One day, while I was watching Charlie and the female cat communicate in the way friendly animals do(him trying to initiate play and her playfully swatting at him with her paw), it happened out of nowhere. The male cat came flying down the hall, landed on top of my dog and attacked. He wouldn't back off. It happened so fast... It soon turned to my dog feeling he had no choice but to defend himself and he fought back, never actually biting the cat, but making threats while the cat clawed him up. My uncle tried to grab my dog to drag him away, but dog his hands torn open from the cat in the process. I proceeded to jump in. At this point, the female cat jumped in after the male cat and was able to distract him for a brief moment. Despite getting clawed, I was bound and determined not to let it get any further and end up with either animal severely injured or dead. I dragged my dog back into my uncles bloody hands, and while he dragged my pooch into the living room, I went for the cat who quickly tried to pursue my dog! I finally scruffed the cat, threw him in my aunts bedroom, slammed the door shut and assessed the damages.

The backs of my uncles hands and fingers were torn open(he likely should have gotten stitches, but never did)... My knuckle was torn open and I had various cuts along my hands and wrists. My dog had one long cut across the top of his nose, and a nick on his bottom eyelid(what a close one that was!), as well as another long scratch dragged down the side of his muzzle and cheek.

My dog was shaken, highly upset, but otherwise, no major damage to him. My uncle and I got the worst of it(thank god, as I live in Canada and it's free health care for me, but certainly not for my dog!). I cleaned up my dogs wounds and pampered him, before finally going off to tend to my own injuries. My knuckle should have been stitched. It was severely infected by the next day and I had to get antibiotics from the doctor to fight infection before it spread. My uncles hands healed nicely, and I still sport the scars.

The worst scars of all are the mental scars my dog now carries. He is TERRIFIED of cats. If they are laying down and not moving, he'll go say hi, but as soon as they're standing and walking, he goes into a panic attack, and tries to run away. Often ending up directly in my arms, shivering, shedding, panting and crying. If a cat persists(dog friendly cats in my family who we have been trying to desensitize him to), he was at the point where he would snap at them. He's now progressing, but extremely slowly and as much as I love cats, I will never again own or live with a cat.

I would sooner get soft paws than get my cats declawed if I ever did own any. However... I don't feel they're suited to me or my lifestyle anymore(rabbit, snake, hamster, dog afraid of cats, fiance doesn't like cats, etc).


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Sep 2, 2012)

bump


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