How come my cats love my rabbits but don’t like my hamsters?

by admin on October 25, 2009

I have four cats and two rabbits. My cats love my rabbits! They will lick them and cuddle with them. They try to hunt/eat hamsters and mice though. So I was wondering why they like my rabbits but not rodents. Is it because their smaller?
No, rabbits are not rodents. They are lagomorphs.

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{ 5 comments }

thing55001 October 25, 2009 at 1:33 pm

Probably because the hamsters are small and make quick, darting movements that cats easily identify as ‘prey’.

Cats have an instinct that helps them tell which animals are good to hunt, such as mice and hamsters. They need this to survive in the wild.

Some cats, however, do get on well with prey such as rabbits and pet rodents ~ unfortunately, it seems your kitty is only ‘bunny friendly’!

Cheers :-)

icecrystal October 25, 2009 at 1:33 pm

I believe it is because of the smell, rodents have a particular smell to them and cats do have sensitive noses. I guess that is why they love to play with mice.

Mallory October 25, 2009 at 1:33 pm

probably because they feel like they cannot take on the rabbits, and they are equals

cats thinking they are superior to the hamsters and they like to kill anything they think they can handle

Pyar October 25, 2009 at 1:33 pm

Rabbits are rodents … You are lucky your cats get along with them … they usually eat them.

Percy-and-Penny October 25, 2009 at 1:33 pm

Probably due to the size and reaction of the animals. The rabbits are much larger and probably not showing as much fear as the small hamster is. I would definitely keep any interaction between the cats and the hamster totally supervised or Mr. Hamster might just end up dinner!

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