The story
- Middle Low German · derived frombönhase“cat”
- English todayroof rabbit
From roof + rabbit. From the common habit of cats to prowl on rooftops, and the meat being sold or passed off as rabbit. Similar formations exist in several European languages. Perhaps the earliest attestation (and eventual origin?) is Middle Low German bönhase (“cat”, literally “loft hare”), which is attested in the early 14th century (as a name and thus probably even older). More at German Bönhase and Dachhase.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.