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Rabbit was fine at night & passed by morning

22 9:51:25

Question
My cat brought home a baby rabbit. I got the cat away from the rabbit as soon as I could. He was playing dead and after 15 minutes came to. So I placed him in a box with water some grass, etc. Contacted my pets Vet and she gave me numbers for rescue places. It was the weekend so I kept him another night had him in a large soft crate, bought alfala, rabbit treats and a water bottle. He was doing fine when we went to sleep and when we woke up the cat could not have gotten to him but was staring at his large crate. Is is possible the cat could have frightened the bunny to death? I did not hear any noise during the night at all. We were heart broken when we woke up. As tomorrow he was to go to the wildlife rescue and was doing so well. Thank you for any input.

Answer
Dear Sue,

Any time a cat captures a rabbit, even if no injuries are evident, the rabbit *must* be put on antibiotics immediately.  Cats' mouths and claws are seething with nasty bacteria that can be deadly to a rabbit with even the tiniest scratch.  

While there is no way to know the cause of death for certain without a necropsy, it is possible that a small injury from the cat introduced these deadly bacteria into the baby's system.  And a baby, not having a strong immune system yet, will be even more susceptible to deadly infection that can kill within hours.

It's also possible that the baby suffered internal injuries that took their toll over night.  It's always bad when a cat gets hold of a baby animal.  :(  This is why we urge people to keep their cats indoors, where they can't harm native wildlife.  (We have a cat fence all around our yard to keep cats out; you might consider this so your kitty can have freedom and fresh air, but not roam afar where s/he could endanger wildlife and also be in danger herself.)

I am sorry about the loss of the baby rabbit.  You truly did the best you could, under the circumstances.

Take care,
Dana