Is it wild or domestic?

Question
Are there easy ways to tell?  This morning my cat was chasing a baby rabbit.  I caught the rabbit easily and it screamed.  It's brown with a white spot on the forehead.

Right now I've got it caged.  My cat chases and play with my adult rabbits who can take care of themselves.  The baby rabbit is strong and seems to be able to run away from the cat.

Answer
Dear Tom,

What you probably have is a baby cottontail.  Baby wild lagomorphs of most species are agouti colored (the brown, tweedy look) with a white star on the forehead. As the bunny matures, the spot tends to either shed out or become obscured by the agouti fur growing in.  So only the babies have the white star.

For this bunny's safety, I'd recommend that you release him at dusk, and keep the cats indoors for a night so the bunny can reorient himself to the area and re-establish his bearings.  The cat will survive a night indoors (and is actually safer there--and the wildlife around you will be safer if you have indoor cats, too).

By morning, I would be surprised if you saw the bunny again, since he'll probably high-tail it away from the area where he was captured and scared by such big predators!  :)

The sooner you release him, the better his chances.

I hope this helps.

Dana