I used to joke that I had rabbits because I was allergic to cats. I was mostly kidding and only saying it to point out how similar they were and that bunnies in general misrepresented as a pet. But, as with all jokes, there was a little truth to it.
When we got the cats over a year ago, I was ready for a new animal in my life. I wasn't ready for a new rabbit. I think then I kind of had this notion that my rabbit ownership was done. I had loved the two rabbits that I had loved and no other long eared beast could hop its way into my heart.
At the very least I decided that having a bunny while unsettled was complicated. Despite the fact that rabbits are essentially, as far as renter should be concerned, cats there are several that abide strictly to the "cats only" rule regardless of the fact that they have this rule because they want to only allow small, quiet animals that are liter boxed train and of which have little reason to leave the apartment and enter the elevator on a daily or hourly basis. A rabbit has all those traits with the added bonus of likely having a cage in which it will, more likely than not, spend its day while the owner is away. Rabbits otherwise allowed to roam free have proven their good behavior.
Despite their reputable pet application, people don't seem to know what to do with them. Your best bet is that the landlord will know only popular stereotypes of rabbits and not even bother to charge you a pet rent on the basis that it is a small creature that will never leave the cage.
It is true that rabbits can be quite destructive. More destructive than cats, if only because they have a greater penchant to put unknown or interesting things in their mouths. The majority of the damage will be to the tenants belongings however, not the apartment's.
A particularly naughty bunny could on the other hand chew up the baseboard... like mine did... a surprisingly easy and cover-able repair... or rip holes in the carpet...
A cat could just as well scratch those things up. But again it depends on the animal. Astrid, my one cat, would never do either thing and hides under the couch at the smallest utterance of "no." I wouldn't put it past Zelda though, who is on course to turning our couch into a large iron supported yarn ball.
I guess one thing I miss, rabbit vs cat, is the relationship with the birds. Josephine and Grover (bird) both had(have) very dominant personalities. It worked well as Grover commanded anything above table level and Josephine anything below. They both thought they were getting the better of the deal and on the occasional crossovers, Josephine would acknowledge the birds brief light upon her cage or floor as a clear accident and Grover would promptly tell on Josephine (or in other years, Xander) for eating the bird seed, were issues easily resolvable forming a amicable acquaintanceship.
However Astrid and Zelda would like to eat Grover and Sasha or at the very least bat them around until they stopped making curious and enticing noises and flutters. And the cats', because of this curiosity and general cat-ness, habit of being at or sometimes above Grover's cage level usually leads her taunt them hoping around back and forth from the edge of the cage, fearless of these seemingly tame beast. She may think them rabbits overstepping their bounds for all I know.
Gone are the days of an open bird cage and the occasional chirping friend alighting on your head to enjoy a good episode of House with you. Outtings are planning and orchestrated. Usually involving locking the cats away, something they wouldn't mind if it hadn't been my idea.
I love my kitties and I do not regret getting them by any means, but I think I do miss having a rabbit. Of course now, to get one would be even more complicated. Rabbit-Cat relationships can be tricky and highly unlikely as most of my cats diets at the moment consist of Rabbit meat medallions.
Maybe it is because I thought the benefits would be different... like cats won't eat my plants right? Wrong. I can take the cat for a walk on the leash too right? Wrong.
But at any rate, I've been having weird dreams about getting bunnies. Though I've also had weird dreams about getting a third cat.
I'm not sure what these dreams mean as the humans are currently out numbered by the animals in this apartment. Maybe I just miss Josephine and Xander. Maybe they're just dreams.
Like I said, I used to joke about how similar they are. But really, even though they are, they are completely different too, on a more subtle level. They are after all, completely different animals! But each is of course unique in their own way, just like one dog is different from the next. Just like Josephine loved mischief and Xander loved snuggles.
So it is clear. My rabbit having days are not over. I was clearly mistaken. Certainly not now, maybe not even for another decade or so... but it is likely a bunny will burrow back into my care.
When we got the cats over a year ago, I was ready for a new animal in my life. I wasn't ready for a new rabbit. I think then I kind of had this notion that my rabbit ownership was done. I had loved the two rabbits that I had loved and no other long eared beast could hop its way into my heart.
At the very least I decided that having a bunny while unsettled was complicated. Despite the fact that rabbits are essentially, as far as renter should be concerned, cats there are several that abide strictly to the "cats only" rule regardless of the fact that they have this rule because they want to only allow small, quiet animals that are liter boxed train and of which have little reason to leave the apartment and enter the elevator on a daily or hourly basis. A rabbit has all those traits with the added bonus of likely having a cage in which it will, more likely than not, spend its day while the owner is away. Rabbits otherwise allowed to roam free have proven their good behavior.
Despite their reputable pet application, people don't seem to know what to do with them. Your best bet is that the landlord will know only popular stereotypes of rabbits and not even bother to charge you a pet rent on the basis that it is a small creature that will never leave the cage.
It is true that rabbits can be quite destructive. More destructive than cats, if only because they have a greater penchant to put unknown or interesting things in their mouths. The majority of the damage will be to the tenants belongings however, not the apartment's.
A particularly naughty bunny could on the other hand chew up the baseboard... like mine did... a surprisingly easy and cover-able repair... or rip holes in the carpet...
A cat could just as well scratch those things up. But again it depends on the animal. Astrid, my one cat, would never do either thing and hides under the couch at the smallest utterance of "no." I wouldn't put it past Zelda though, who is on course to turning our couch into a large iron supported yarn ball.
I guess one thing I miss, rabbit vs cat, is the relationship with the birds. Josephine and Grover (bird) both had(have) very dominant personalities. It worked well as Grover commanded anything above table level and Josephine anything below. They both thought they were getting the better of the deal and on the occasional crossovers, Josephine would acknowledge the birds brief light upon her cage or floor as a clear accident and Grover would promptly tell on Josephine (or in other years, Xander) for eating the bird seed, were issues easily resolvable forming a amicable acquaintanceship.
However Astrid and Zelda would like to eat Grover and Sasha or at the very least bat them around until they stopped making curious and enticing noises and flutters. And the cats', because of this curiosity and general cat-ness, habit of being at or sometimes above Grover's cage level usually leads her taunt them hoping around back and forth from the edge of the cage, fearless of these seemingly tame beast. She may think them rabbits overstepping their bounds for all I know.
Gone are the days of an open bird cage and the occasional chirping friend alighting on your head to enjoy a good episode of House with you. Outtings are planning and orchestrated. Usually involving locking the cats away, something they wouldn't mind if it hadn't been my idea.
I love my kitties and I do not regret getting them by any means, but I think I do miss having a rabbit. Of course now, to get one would be even more complicated. Rabbit-Cat relationships can be tricky and highly unlikely as most of my cats diets at the moment consist of Rabbit meat medallions.
Maybe it is because I thought the benefits would be different... like cats won't eat my plants right? Wrong. I can take the cat for a walk on the leash too right? Wrong.
But at any rate, I've been having weird dreams about getting bunnies. Though I've also had weird dreams about getting a third cat.
I'm not sure what these dreams mean as the humans are currently out numbered by the animals in this apartment. Maybe I just miss Josephine and Xander. Maybe they're just dreams.
Like I said, I used to joke about how similar they are. But really, even though they are, they are completely different too, on a more subtle level. They are after all, completely different animals! But each is of course unique in their own way, just like one dog is different from the next. Just like Josephine loved mischief and Xander loved snuggles.
So it is clear. My rabbit having days are not over. I was clearly mistaken. Certainly not now, maybe not even for another decade or so... but it is likely a bunny will burrow back into my care.
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