Kate's Blog

Lucky the vegetarian cat

Last week our family adopted a house rabbit. Or perhaps the rabbit adopted us, it's sometimes hard to say. "Lucky" (*) is like a vegetarian cat - but friendlier than many cats I've known.

European wild rabbits were introduced to Australia in the 19th century by "naturalization societies" as part of an attempt to make Australia more like Europe. The wild rabbits were intended to provide food for the foxes (also introduced), and the foxes were meant to provide entertainment (fox-hunting) for a new kind of landed gentry, the free settlers.

Well, of course, it all went horribly wrong. Rabbits in Australia are a major pest, destroying crops, grazing land and habitat for native animals. They have been controlled by shooting, as well as deliberately introduced diseases such as myxomatosis (in the 1950s) and, more recently, calicivirus (also known as Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease). Attempts were made to fence off large areas in Western Australia to eradicate rabbits in grazing land, pushing them into desert areas (the movie Rabbit-Proof Fence is not about rabbits, but it shows the extent of the fence). In true mythbusters style, explosives are sometimes employed. You can read more about the history of rabbits in Australia here. Growing up in Australia, we didn't see rabbits as cute little bunnies - they could be food, sometimes, but were usually a pest. Stories about car drivers swerving to run over them were common (though due to limited road access to rabbit warrens, it is not very effective on a large scale).

So, I would not have considered a rabbit as a pet. Growing up, we kept guinea pigs, dogs, cats, budgerigars, and a horse - but never rabbits. My kids have pet guinea pigs, but these live outside and don't have much to do with us, really.

So, how did we end up with a house rabbit? Some friends were walking their dog, and found a white rabbit cornered by off-leash dogs. They scooped up the rabbit, and carried it to our house - since we have pet guinea pigs, we had a spare outdoor hutch. We spent a week trying to track down the owner, but failed. Meanwhile "Lucky" began her campaign to move into our house. She moped inside the hutch, but greeted us enthusiastically when we checked on her. When brought inside, she hopped around, sniffing us inquisitively, and didn't make a mess of the carpet. It was clear that she likes people, and is used to living indoors. She also is afraid to walk on polished floors, and prefers carpet. So, we bought a rabbit cage for indoors, and she uses it for food and as a litter box. She hangs out most of the time on a rug under the coffee table - this arrangement is great, because there are no power cords or stray cables lying around the coffee table. She likes being brushed, and is very affectionate.

I was surprised at how curious she is. She is also much less focussed on food than a guinea pig, and more interested in people (especially if you stroke her between the eyes). I had always thought rabbits' success in Australia was due to their fast breeding and lack of predators, but I'm now wondering if their willingness to explore has played a big part. Curiousity, along with the ability to breed fast, makes for successful colonisation. It's probably worth noting that there are no feral populations of guinea pigs in Australia - no surprise there.

(*) probably not her real name.

Posted at 10:23AM 16 May, 2007 by Kate Morris in Personal  |