Rabbit kitten has moved into our coal bunker

[PurpleThistles84]

About three days ago my dog alerted me to a rabbit kitten hiding in our empty coal bunker. I was convinced our cat must have been the culprit so brought it in the house to check it over, warm it up and have some hay (I have guinea pigs) and as soon as it started to become more active, I let it go on the hill near my house (known as rabbit hole hill!).

I thought that was that, job well done, until this morning, once again my dog made a bee line for the coal bunker and tucked in the corner was the little rabbit kitten.

I highly doubt my cat managed to find the same kitten and bring it back for it to hide in the bunker again. I assume it is perhaps an orphan and too young to dig its own burrow.

Question is, what do I do with it? Now that I know it’s not my cat bringing it, I have put a fleece blanket in the bunker, hay and closed it up as both my cat and dog are trying to get in whenever they go outside.

A big motherly part of me is tempted to keep it, however the game keepers daughter side of me knows that it actually has more of a chance in the wild than in captivity. Maybe it could just stay in the bunker until it’s big enough to go off and make a burrow?

Photo or it didn’t happen misses the point of the thread!

On a serious note, in the cold bunker will it have access to food/water and be safe from the cat/dog. If not i’d Take it in and care for it.

Isn't it more likely that the second time it was actually a litter mate of the first? Can we have a pic? It might be too young to survive without it's mother and siblings. I don't think you can just assume another colony will adopt it! Bless the darling thing/s. And thank you for caring, not everyone would.

Photo please! As a PP says, it’s likely to be a sibling of the first so I’d relocate it to rabbit hole hill.

Here’s a picture. I adore rabbits, wild and pet, had a house rabbit for years. I would happily take it in, but I don’t know if that’s the best thing to do and also it has fleas.

Oohh yes please post a pic! I’d be keeping it but I’m a sucker for bunnies 🐰

Could it be the sibling of the first one.

I can put water in there but it will have to come out at some point and it is definitely not safe from my evil cat. My dog is a big softie and will probably try to adopt it as a puppy and lick the poor thing to death.

Aww very cute! De-flea it and release with its bunny friends?

There are rabbit welfare associations. I adopted my second rabbit from one. They are very helpful.

Give it to a wildlife trust to look after? They were hopefully rehabilitate it and send it off on its merry way. We did this recently with a duckling we found.

it is so cute!

I’d ask a rabbit welfare / adoption charity what they suggest. Some house wild rabbits so if you did take it in, you wouldn’t be the first. It would need it’s vaccinations sharpish.

So adorable

I have now called the sspca who are going to send an officer to access the situation. I would love to keep it but it is not the right thing to do for the little thing.

It is utterly adorable. Thank you for looking after it so well and doing the right thing.

I didn’t actually realise that baby rabbits were called kittens (don’t tell you that on Peppa!) and I cannot tell you how confusing I found your title 🤯

Update! Sspca took baby rabbit away and I thought that was the end, however just 15 minutes ago, I spotted my cat...on the coal bunker. Quick look inside and another little rabbit kitten. Now I had closed up the bottom of it but the lid was still open from the sspca lady taking the first rabbit out, so I am now certain it’s my cat bringing them. Why I don’t know as he hasn’t hurt any of them at all. This one was very wet but after a quick warm up was very active so I have popped him back out on rabbit hole hill and closed up the bunker completely.

Are you sure there's not a secret burrow that leads into your coal bunker, and it's one litter exploring? Surely if your cat was catching them they'd be wounded/die of fright? And why would your cat bring them in and leave them there instead of mauling them around? It's very odd. Dear little bunnies, they're so precious. I too have a house rabbit (well, 2 originally!). There's so much more to buns than people realise.

Definitely no secret burrow, that was my first thought so I looked at all the walls and floor of the bunker and all around the outside of it. Could only have been the cat from the lid. I have no idea why my cat is doing this as all three kittens had absolutely no injuries. It’s bizarre.

Oh they’re so gorgeous. Can sspca come take the other one too. It’ll probably be happy to be with it’s sibling.

Yabu to not be grateful for your gorgeous gifts!!
Another call to sspca..
Hope its not a huge family in it's way in dribs and drabs op!!

I'm here for the cute photos!

This is adorable. I have a theory that your cat is actually a dear, sweet thing aware of an abandoned litter and is bringing the kittens to you one by one to be taken care of.

Doesn't want to relinquish his bad boy persona in case word gets around the village so he's having to bring them to the bunker in secret and rely on the useful idiot dog to alert you to their presence. Plausible?

I’m fairly certain my cat is the anti christ. I named him after nanny oggs cat from terry pratchetts disc world and it suits him completely. I suspect it’s more likely that he was gathering a cat buffet for such times where I don’t immediately feed him when he demands. Mildly tempted to let the sspca take him and I’ll keep the kits!