Cat or Rabbit Which is better?

Hello friends, hope you all doing very well. The last article I uploaded on this site was “Rabbits versus Dogs,” where we talked all about the pros and cons of both rabbits and dogs when it comes to cost, feeding them, socializing, and just what animal is better for you. Some people responded to that last article saying that you would love a “Rabbits versus Cats” article, so today that is what we are doing.

When I tell people that I have a free-roam rabbit and they ask me what that entails, honestly, I usually say it’s a lot like having a cat. So I think that this article today is going to be really interesting in comparing the two animals because I personally think that cats and rabbits are way more similar than cats and dogs. But they also still have very big differences that may make you want to choose one versus the other. So if you are in the market for a companion for a pet and you’ve ruled out dogs as an option and you’re thinking about getting either a cat or a rabbit, this is the article for you. We’re going to go through the exact same categories that we went through in the “Rabbits versus Dogs” article so that you can compare these animals one-on-one against each other and really find out what’s best for you.

Lifespan:

So let’s get started with the lifespan of both animals. Although a lot of people think that rabbits only live a couple of years, a rabbit’s lifespan is 8 to 12 years. The average cat lifespan is 12 to 18 years. You could be 20 years old and then still have your cat on your 38th birthday.

Cost:

Now let’s talk about the average cost of a rabbit. On average, rabbit owners are going to spend about $600 to $1,100 per year on their rabbit, and the cat number was actually really similar. The ASPCA said that the average cost of a cat per year is about $1,149 per year.

Care:

Now let’s talk about care because I think this is where rabbits and cats really match up with one another because it’s really similar. You can potty train a rabbit, so you don’t need to take your rabbit out to go to the bathroom. You don’t have to take your rabbit out on a walk. As long as your rabbit is free-roam, they are getting the exercise they need just by hopping around your house, and you really only need to change their litter box once a day. I feed my bunny a salad in the morning, she always has hay to eat, and then I also give her pellets in the morning and at night along with treats and toys throughout the day. Rabbits also groom themselves, so really any grooming that you do is just supplementing what they can do. I trim her nails once a month, but I don’t need to take her to the groomers. I can groom her on my kitchen table, and she’s going to wash herself.

Cats are pretty much the exact same. While cat litter is different, they are also litter box trained, so you’ll do a full change of their litter box like once a month, but you’re scooping poop out of the litter box every single day. They need daily water changes and daily food changes, but I would even argue that the food My bunny gets is more specific than what a cat gets because she gets fresh salad and herbs plus the hay on top of that. For cats, they’re really just getting either the wet food or kibble. Cats, just like rabbits, groom themselves, and then you also brush them as well to supplement it, and you trim their nails. Just one really big thing about rabbit care versus cat care is while cats can throw up their hairballs that they ingest while grooming themselves, rabbits cannot do that. So rabbits are actually in more danger of getting hairballs in their stomach versus a cat, where they can just kind of throw their hairballs up. You don’t need to take a cat on a walk, you don’t need to take them out; they have toys and things they can play on. They have their cat trees they can play on. So honestly, I think that these two go head-to-head when it comes to the care department. It’s about identical care for each of them.

Socialization:

So I would say for the most part, rabbits are more of an animal that you observe in a social situation, and you’re not engaging with them too much in a social situation. You don’t want to take your rabbit to breweries or out on outings. They like to stay home; they are homebodies, and they don’t love strangers. If you’re able to gain your rabbit’s trust though, they absolutely love you and will be very connected to you. But don’t expect that kind of love to any guests of your house.

Cats are similar and different. Cats are predators, so that automatically makes them a little bit braver when it comes to just how they view the world. But I feel like we all know that cats are really independent. Cats can be kind of bratty—a stereotype that they can get because, honestly, I feel like the vibe of a cat is “this is my house and anybody walking into it, I get to decide if I bless them or not.” But as a whole, whether your cat is social or more shy, they are typically a lot better at being picked up, being petted by strangers, and even climbing into a stranger’s lap. Similar to rabbits, there’s not much playing you do with cats other than maybe dangling a string in front of them. They like to kind of entertain themselves, and you also don’t want to take them out of the house either. Cats typically do not like to leave the house. They are house cats; it’s a thing. So I would say the biggest social difference here is that I think that rabbits are just inherently more shy while cats are a little bit more standoffish—kind of similar outcomes but for different moral reasons.

Travel:

Let’s talk about travel. I’m going to make this quick: I think rabbits and cats both do not like travel. It goes along with what I said about them being really connected to their space. Rabbits and cats both love their routines, love to be in their home, and don’t love cars very much. So as a whole, traveling with either a cat or rabbit is probably going to be equally stressful. You can definitely do it, but they’re not going to be super happy about it.

Damage and destruction:

Again, these are just two sides of the same coin, where rabbits chew and chew and chew, and cats scratch. Your cords might be in more danger from a rabbit; your walls and furniture might be in more danger from a cat. Luckily with cats, you can buy cat trees and other things and scratching posts for them, so once they learn what “no” means, they have specific areas they can scratch on. And that’s pretty similar with rabbits as well. As long as you give them enough toys to chew on and you bunny-proof appropriately, they’re going to take care of their chewing needs elsewhere. So it just kind of depends.

Vet experiences

As far as the vet goes, cats are pretty simple with the vet. While they probably don’t love going to the vet—what animal does?—they can go to a very traditional vet that sees dogs and cats, whereas rabbits are considered exotic animals, so they have to go to a specialized vet who specializes in rabbits and exotics.

Smell:

As far as smell goes, since both animals are litter trained, as long as you keep their litter box under control, they’re pretty odor-free—both animals are. So I would say the bigger thing here is dander because cat allergies are so much more common. It is a problem if you’re having a lot of people over all the time because most likely, someone’s going to be allergic to your cat. It’s really, really unfortunate because cats are such a great animal, but that’s something that I often recommend to people who want cats. I’m like, “Hey, have you thought about a rabbit?” Because most likely, if they’re allergic to a cat, they might not be allergic to a rabbit. And from this article, you can see they’re pretty equitable pets.

I think that both animals are an awesome, fantastic option for somebody who likes to be at home, likes a little bit more of a quiet animal, but also likes a pet that they don’t need to worry about every second of every day. I love that I can be out at dinner and out with friends and not worried about My bunny needing to be taken out to the restroom. And I love that she’s small and not making giant messes everywhere, and the same goes for cats as well.

So I hope that this article is helpful, and I hope that you learned something new. Let me know what you think; let me know if you are a cat owner, a bunny owner, whatever. I would love to hear your opinion on this. And also let me know if you want me to compare more animals to rabbits. We could definitely keep this going as a series. I think it’s so interesting to learn where rabbits fall in the world of pet ownership.