Introducing a Kitten to Our Older Rabbit, Buddy

Buddy is a Netherland Dwarf rabbit, and at almost nine years old he has very set habits. When we decided to bring home a kitten from a shelter, I was worried he would feel left out or get stressed.

I kept the kitten in a separate room for the first week and swapped their bedding so they could get used to each other's smell. After that, we let them see each other through a mesh door in short, supervised sessions. Buddy mostly ignored the kitten, which was a relief, and the kitten was far more interested in the mesh than in him.

Give them time, and keep the first meetings short. Never leave a kitten alone with a rabbit, because even a playful kitten can scratch or bite by accident. We are now a few weeks in, and they share the living room in the afternoon, each on their own cushion.