Rabbit Humping Cat – What Should You Do?

Get him neutered. Your rabbit, who is either male or female, is probably humping the cat because of some hormonal motivation.

If you’ve already neutered him, your rabbit is likely expressing his or her dominance. You will find female bunnies humping on each other even without any gains (traditionally, humping is supposed to end with sexual relief). What you need to do is to get a cuddly toy for your bunny. That way, you will appease its ego. Also, do as much as you can to separate the rabbit from the cat.

However, the separation won’t work all the time since the cat may go outside. Then, the rabbit will chase the cat to get a hump. If you can, get something that the rabbit can hump on.

The Ultimate Guide To Rabbit Humping *Chuckles*

Rabbits are smart and among the loveliest animals in the world. Bunnies have been domesticated for a long time. However, others still roam and wander in the wilderness. People like to keep rabbits at home because of their cute reactions and babyfaces. There are many instinctual rabbit behaviors, and this should be put out clearly – rabbits are territorial animals and will not like the sight of a hijacker trying to claim their place.

In this long section, we will get to know some guidelines connected to rabbit humping behavior. This is in an attempt to clear the confusion that exists among rabbit keepers.

What Is Rabbit Humping, And Why Is Your Rabbit Doing It?

The other word similar in meaning to humping is mounting – which is the more familiar word. Humping is an instinctual behavior and a medium of communication between rabbits of different (or even the same) sexes. In humping, one rabbit approaches another from behind or the side. Then, it moves and positions itself over the head or the back of the other rabbit. Then, it proceeds and starts making pelvic-thrusting motions. To boil it down, this is the position that the rabbits use for mating. Also, it is a way of one rabbit showing dominance over another one.

Apart from those two functions, humping can be used by one rabbit to say ‘I love you’ or ‘I want to play with you’ to another. 

Remember that humping is a necessary action in the reproductive processes of many animals. It helps your rabbits to increase in numbers since sexually active male rabbits will hump on their female counterparts. Out of all the action, baby rabbits will come.

If you are a rabbit raiser, please note that females and males both hump when they achieve sexual maturity. Apart from sexual satisfaction, humping is done to showcase dominion. 

The sexual maturity of rabbits, like other animals, comes when their hormonal levels change. When the change occurs, it indicates that your rabbit wants to breed. Sometimes, humping is taken as ‘bad manners’ – the same way as biting or scratching or eating up all the carrots. Some rabbits have actually been seen humping on their owners. They do all that in a quest to get attention. 

If you’re dealing with a male humper, the best thing to do is bring in a female. She will help him to quench his sexual desire. The other option would be to go for neutering, which will rectify the source of the problem.

Will Spaying Or Neutering Deal With The Humping Behavior For Good?

The general concept is that spaying or neutering in female and male rabbits respectively will eradicate the unwanted behavior. On top of that, the neutered or spayed rabbit will not be as aggressive because the responsible hormones are not in plenty. The surgery will work for most rabbits, but not all of them. There are some cases where neutering has failed to prevent humping behaviors in rabbits.

So, why would the surgery fail to work? Even when spaying or neutering is done, sex hormones will still move in the body, although in minimal quantities. Female estrogen and male testosterone will keep provoking the animal to hump incessantly.

The other reason why it wouldn’t work has already been captured. Humping is not entirely sexual – it is a show of dominance and competition. So, spayed or neutered rabbits will mount on others to territorialize them. Also, they can exhibit the behavior to express their anger.

How Often Rabbit Humping Occurs

With some rabbit species, humping may occur many times in a single day. With others, it happens a couple of times in a year. When you see rabbits humping, you shouldn’t assume that the behavior is driven by sexual urges or dominance. Rabbits use the mounting as a way to bond successfully. Actually, it is usually pleasurable for both the mounter and the mounted. 

We should not respond to rabbit humping based on our thoughts. This is because the motivation can be nowhere close to the ideas in our heads.

Also, there is a need to take personal and cultural labels out of the mix. We need to be good observers of the action. This way, it will be easy and more rational to know if we need to intervene.

Many humans will find it uncomfortable to watch rabbits humping. However, rabbits should be given the freedom to communicate within themselves in a way that best works for them.

Note: This humping behavior has been seen in rabbits that are of the same sex. Also, small and sexually immature rabbits hump over other bunnies.

If you see that humping increases the risk of injuries or fighting, it would be wise to separate the animals. You can reintroduce the humpers to each other after that time elapses. It takes a lot of training to get rabbits to stop humping each other, let alone getting a rabbit to stop humping a cat.

Are There Factors That Can Reduce Rabbit Mounting Behavior?

Yes – yes, there are. It has been noted that there are underlying factors that will reduce rabbit humping behavior. Here are the important ones:

1. If the rabbit has pain-inducing medical trouble in the legs, hips, and shoulder, the animal will not frequently mount on other animals.

2. If the rabbit being mounted gets anxious, panics, and keeps seeking a hiding place, the mounting rabbit will reduce its behavior.

3. If the rabbit being mounted has any heart or respiratory conditions, the chances of the animal mounting will be reduced.

Anti-Humping Strategies – Stopping Unneeded Mounting In Rabbits

Mounting, although a relaxing activity for rabbits, can be counterproductive. For example, humping can bring about serious consequences such as injuries, fighting, and owner-related problems. Seeing that that is the case, it is mandatory to limit this rabbit behavior so that complications are not developed in the future. Here are the strategies and the take-home points:

1. Change The Environment Of The Rabbit

If you are a rabbit supervisor, the first thing you need to do is monitor and modify the rabbit’s surroundings. Look at the specific time of the day when the rabbits hump each other frequently. When you monitor the cues, you will fully wrap your head around the situation.

If you note that the animals hump each other during a particular time, ensure that they are not together. Before the specific hour mark clocks, separate them. Also, you can move them to different locations and change their routine up during those times. This strategy aims at maximizing the non-humping time and minimizing the humping time.

2. Get Younger Bunnies Protected

The other important thing you need to do is to allow small bunnies places that they can hide to prevent mounting. This will prevent overweight or large bunnies from mounting them. Remember that the older and more experienced rabbits can inflict injuries on the younger ones, which is why this move is essential. 

3. Use Treats As Rewards

When the rabbits are in each other’s presence but not mounting, then is when you take a chance. Toss or hand treats to the rabbits repeatedly and do not allow them to go on humping. If you do this at least 20 times a day, the rabbits will be more inclined to look at you than mounting on each other.

A Tabulated List Of Things You Shouldn’t Do When Handling Rabbit Humping

Look away from the given strategies for a while. Here are some of the methods that will derail any efforts you put in stopping your rabbits from humping each other:

Method	Negative Effect
Shouting at the rabbits	This will make the bunnies feel scared.
Spraying water	This will make the rabbits feel uncomfortably cold.
Throwing things in the direction of your rabbits	The rabbits may get hurt or injured.

Remember that rabbits can lose trust in you. The bond you have with them can break badly. Avoid giving them any punishment as it will leave the animals irritated and frustrated.

Plot Twist: The Neutered Cat Is Humping – How Do You Stop Him?

Even when neutered, it is common to see a male cat stalking, attacking, mounting, and humping another cat. As a result, this behavior can lead to stress for you and the cat being mounted. If this behavior happens regularly at your place, there are many ways to deal with the issue.

Neutered Cats And Humping – The Reasons Why

Neutering does not automatically stop a male from mounting – grasping her with his forepaws, and using his teeth to grip her neck. The reason why the cat is humping could either be the cat’s social hierarchy or particular health issues.

The Health-Related Causes

For whole male cats, that is, those who are unneutered, humping behavior is very familiar. Even when the castration surgery is done, the sexual hormones do not immediately leave the cat’s body. So, it is usual for the cat to keep mounting for a couple of weeks before its energy dies.

For some cats, what motivates them to hump is urinary tract infections.

If you see that your neutered cat is humping too much, it would be best to get the animal to a vet. This will help to rule out any health issues. If your vet clears the cat and deems it fit and healthy, it is likely that the humping is motivated by a behavioral issue.

Behavior-Related Issues

You can correctly relate cat humping to stress and anxiety. This usually happens to the cat when something changes in the environment, including a new member of the family, moving, or a new cat. Also, cats will hump each other because they are bored.

The other behavior-related issue is reinforcing social ranking. Cats usually become socially mature when they get between ages 2 and 4. When this age comes, your cat will start worrying about its social status among all the other cats. So, the male will stalk, mount, and chase the female cats around it to show territorial marking or pushy behavior.

How To Deal with Cat-On-Cat Humping

When the vet describes your cat’s humping behavior as having a medical cause, take the feline to go for treatment. Behavioral causes are quite challenging to address as they need you to understand the operations in the cat world. Here are some ways you can apply to contain the feline humping behavior:

Reduce Anxiety, Boredom, And Stress

Always ensure that your feline friend gets all the attention they need. Also, engage your cat with exercise and mental stimulation as they are all critical. Play games with the cat at least once or twice every day. Comb around the environment and pick out any sources of stress. If you get any, do everything you can to relieve it.

Distract And Deter The Cat From Humping

Once you see your cat readying himself to hump, sound a gong, or clap your hands. If you can, drop a book. Ensure that the humping does not start.

If you have a chance, offer your humper cat a stuffed animal. This will help him to stay away from actual cats.

Reward The Cat If He Behaves Nicely

When your male cat decides against humping, ensure that you treat him. Get toys or food treats to reward his calmness. This is a better way than yelling or watering him (as if he is a plant). And this goes without saying – do not hit the cat.

Expand The Cat’s Territory 

You need to provide your cat with more space to make them feel dominant. Cats are climbers, and so, get the window perches and separate cat trees. To make the cat have more fun, you can get elevated walkways installed.