The Rabbit shall be called Mr. Winston.

How could Rabbits be considered a common household pet in the Western World, with eating them considered something crazy only the Chinese do, like with dogs?
 
How could Rabbits be considered a common household pet in the Western World, with eating them considered something crazy only the Chinese do, like with dogs?

1. They are.

2. Hard. They're common in the wild and are, as far as I know, not protected in any way, so they will remain an outdoorsy food unless something major happens.
 
Only European Rabbits can be domesticated, and not the American cottontails; some rabbits have even been known to attack people and even presidents. I can't see how any non ASB intervention can make rabbits more popular.
 
Presuming dogs remain just as popular as pets, there could be problems - majority of dogs tend to regard rabbits as prey. (unless they're brought up with them as puppies, like with cats)
 
My problem with this WI is that rabbits eat gardens, breed "like rabbits", and taste good. All of this combines to make it an excellent idea to kill and eat rabbits.

I don't think this WI is an impossibility in the mid 1900s; as noted above, this is becoming true today.

Only European Rabbits can be domesticated, and not the American cottontails;
Not quite true. 'Tis possible to keep them in captivity, but they tend to die of heart-attacks, so they need very much space. This is not actual domestication, though. I've never heard of anyone trying to keep them through several generations.
 
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