I saved a baby bunny from my neighbors cat, did I do the right thing?

Question

My question isn't so much if saving the bunny was the right thing ( I know it was) but whether putting it back in the wild was. I heard a loud crying noise outside yesterday and noticed my neighbors cat had a baby bunny in it's mouth. Being that it's a house cat but roams outside sometimes I wasn't surprised it didn't eat it but I knew it was tormenting the poor little thing. I was able to distract the cat enough to get the bunny (it was so tiny it fit in the palm of my hand) but it's eyes were open and it had it's fur. It didn't appear injured and so since I didn't know where it came from I took it to a little park 2 blocks away that has a wooded area that we call the bunny patch because bunnies always live there. I wore gloves when handling it so as not to have it smell human and it is far enough away from the cat that it is safe. Do you think it can bond with other bunnies not in it's original family and was it possibly too young to be on it's own...your thoughts? I am an animal lover and I will always wonder if the little bunny made it, although it has a better chance now than it had in the paws of the neighbors cat.

Answer 1

Aw how sweet. I think that you did the right thing by saving it from death. At least with other bunnies it may have a chance. If it could hop on its own and possibly eat on its own it may survive.  

Answer 2

Yes, if it wasn't too injured, then you did the right thing!  I took a bird away from one of my cats last week that was still alive, and later I wished I hadn't because it was too injured to fly away and it died overnight in my back yard.  I ran out there as soon as I saw my cat pounce on it, but it was too late.  But, it sounds like the bunny has a good chance of making it.  I hope it does!

Answer 3

To be honest, I would have not taken it so far away.  It's mother was probably in the area, keeping watch.  Hopefully they were reunited.

Answer 4

I think how the bunny does depends on how old the baby bunny is.  At around 4-5 weeks old, they could take care of themselves if they are away from mom, but earlier than that, they probably wouldn't be able to make it on their own.  I think a bunny that could fit in your hand could be old enough.  I'm not sure about the size of wild bunnies at certain ages, but I know the rabbits I raise are about 4 weeks old when they fit in my hand.

I'm an animal like yourself.  I am constantly rescuing mice, baby birds, and other random small animals from my cats!

Answer 5

Saving the rabbit was a good thing, but moving him from his original location was a bad idea.  

Answer 6

well done :) !

Answer 7

No, you shoukd habve left it. You tempered woth nature just because you love bunnies

You are disturbing the natural balance, disturbing the food chain, and you took away the cat's dinner.

Answer 8

I think you did a wonderful thing! your questioning whether you should have kept or not, so i say no you did the right thing, its an animal and it deserves to me in the wild. I'm sure it'll be fine with the other bunnies

Answer 9

Saving an animal many times means you have to take care of it, especially when it's a baby and so can't care for itself well and may not be accepted by other rabbits. But since you already released it you may wanna go check the bunny patch often and take food to leave for them. Hopefully it did just join the rabbit families there. I'm sure it'll be fine

Answer 10

I think, with the right instructions, you could nurse it yourself. Firstly take it to a vet. The vet will be able to help you. After the vet, make sure the bunny has enough warmth, after all, it's just a baby. I would put it in a basket, maybe near a lamp. Put some blanketing down. I'm not sure if baby rabbits drink milk or not..... ask that to the vet. By the way, only keep it if a vet says so. They are wild animals.

I hope this helped.

Post a follow up after the vet, I look forward to hearing more!  

Answer 11

I agree with you because I personally love animals. I have a pamphlet on bunnies and it says that it is illegal to own a wild bunny so you did the right thing by letting it go. Also since you put it back soon after you rescued it the rabbit should be able to bond with its family.

Answer 12

Are you sure the cat was hurting it, because the cat would be able to kill it in no time. If the cat was carrying it in the mouth, it was trying to be motherly. That's what a nursing animal does. If it wanted to eat it, it would have killed it, before it started carrying it around. Anyway, I don't think you did anything wrong. It should be fine.

Good Luck,  ;-)

Answer 13

The chances are pretty slim, another animal might get it. If it finds it's family it has a greater chance of survival.

Answer 14

ahhh u did the right thing... i hate cats if i was there i prolly shot that cat!

Answer 15

Your a wonderful person for doing such a thing :) Kudos 2 you!

Some people would just look at the cat torture it until it was over because the cat bit the poor bunny's head off! And then they would laugh!! I absolutely HATE those kind of people!

Anyways, back 2 the point. Of course you did the right thing! That bunny is a wild bunny, not a house pet! It would be more comfortable and much happier in the bunny patch than in a cage in your house! Don't doubt yourself, you did the right thing of saving the poor creature, and it's probably very grateful. If it gets itself into anymore trouble, there are fellow bunny's there to protect it. Bunny's take young ones into their pack. I'm almost 100% sure the baby will be just fine!

Answer 16

Cat bites are extremely fatal. It may not have made it. Moving it so far from home probably wasn't good for it either. Doubt it will bond with the other rabbits. It will most likely be rejected and eaten by something else. Harsh reality I know but that's rabbits for you.

Answer 17

if it was wounded then maybe u shouldn't release it in the wild but rather to a vet or omething, or maybe even nurse it urself

Answer 18

arrr! How cute! Yer you did the best thing defiantly- well done! I would have bin tempted to keep it

Answer 19

well, to be honest i would say you did the right thing. i work at a petstore and all the time during this season we get people coming in who took bunnies out of their hole or thought the mother abandoned them and want to take care of them themselves. bad idea because 1) bunnies like this do horribly in captivity and will most likely die from the stress alone of being handled by humans and 2) wild bunnies have fleas ticks mites and other sorts of things we can catch.

i think by saving the bunny from the cat then releasing it back into the wild you did the right thing. the only thing is a bunny that size probably wasn't ready to be away from its mother, even if its eyes were open. they usually need milk until they are the actual size of your palm, not if they can still fit in it. but, nonetheless, it has a chance of life now instead of it being ended by the cat.

Answer 20

Yes, I think you did the right thing.  Even if the smell of you was on the bunny, I think he has a good chance of surviving.

Answer 21

no

Answer 22

deffenently!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

Answer 23

it should be fine, you have done the right thing all vets try to put wild animals back to the wild,, well done, don't feel guilty you saved his life.

Answer 24

You took the best option possible!!

Answer 25

you did do the right thing but if the bunny was too young then he might not of been able to eat, if his eyes were open and his ears were perked up then he should be fine.

as for your other question bunnies in the wild dont normally bond with eachother, if by any chance he found another burrow with babies about the same age as him he could possibly sneek in there and nurse off of the un suspecting mom but the other babies would have to be the excat same age. The mother rabbit dosent generally hang out by her burrow so there would be a good chance he would beable to sneak inside and sleep with the other baby bunnies. These chances are extremely high but it has been known to happen expesially in a highly bunny-populated area..

This baby could of been old enough to be on its own though so there would be no need to worry about him, he was out of his burrow for a reason and he was probably on his own becuause he was probably old enough to eat bu himself. As long as theres loads of grass and plants around where you let him go he should be fine.

You did the right thing in rescueing this baby, he would of died if you just ignored his crys, you gave him a good fighting chance.

Answer 26

Here is a little info on wild baby bunnies. First if you find a wild baby bunny and his eyes are open he can survive without mommy. After they open their eyes they almost instantly start eating grass. If you do find a baby bunny with his eyes closed you can put it back in the nest, momma will take it back, the nest is usually located in fields or open areas, not woods, you will see grass clippings and rabbit fur lining the nest. If the Baby bunny has a scratch on it and it was caused by the cat, if not treated it an be fatal, cats have a lot of bacteria in there mouths. You might want to call vets in ur area and see if u did happen to find a hurt baby bunny if they would help it, so u know who to go to or call ur local animal shelter.   That bunny should be considered lucky, cats usually skin them alive.