Question:
My son has an 11-year-old chocolate Lab who spends much time presiding over a large, fenced-in backyard.For the last two summers, a mother rabbit has had her babies a few feet outside of the fence, only to have them killed by a cat. This year, it appears she made a decision to outsmart the cat and have her babies within the fenced yard. Boldly, she made her home exactly eight feet in front of the doghouse entrance.We are happy to report that the bunnies are thriving and unbothered by the dog.Could this have been a deliberate strategy on her part, picking the lesser of two evils in trying to create a safe environment for her offspring?.
N.H, Minneapolis, MN Jun 24, 2007
Answer:
What a beautiful story! It shows how intelligent rabbits are. This mother learned that your son's dog was not a threat.It is a reminder that cat owners should not allow their cats to roam free. There is no logic behind municipalities having laws prohibiting dog owners from allowing their dogs to run free, but not prohibiting cat owners -- for many similar reasons, including the well-being of the cats, as I document in my soon-to-be-published book "Cat Body, Cat Mind" (Lyons Press).
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