posted
A few nights ago, I was in the kitchen when I heard a high-pitched squeak coming from the basement. I immediately thought something was up with the cats. So, I headed toward the basement door. All of a sudden, up ran my cat, Oliver with something in his mouth. The something turned out to be a bat.
I was freaked out. I was going to try to get it away from him. But, by the time I found him (growling and eating) and worked up my courage to try to knock the bat out of his mouth and put a big bowl over it (I had no idea what I'd do after I put the bowl over it), he had eaten it. The whole thing.
My vet told me everything should be ok since both cats have up to date rabies shots. I'm sort of wondering whether I should call an exterminator (a few months back, I found a dead, intact bat dead in the basement).
I just felt the need to tell that story.
-------------------- "My name is the symbol for my identity and must not be lost." Motto of the Lucy Stone League. Posts: 1815 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Jul 2004
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-------------------- I've got a pen in my pocket does that make me a writer? Standing on the mountain doesn't make me no higher. Putting on gloves don't make you a fighter. And all the study in the world doesn't make it science. -Paul Weller Posts: 199 | From: Kalamazoo, MI | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Kitty was probably congratulating himself for getting a two-fer. "It's a mouse! It's a bird! It's both."
-------------------- You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons. -Blazing Saddles Posts: 1074 | From: High Level, Alberta, Canada | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by tagurit: Poor little bat.
Why not just try to figure out where they're getting in and seal it up?
We actually tried to do that. The problem is that my house is almost 100 years old, with lots of little nooks and crevices. We think all of the big ones (i.e., large enough for anything to get in) downstairs are sealed up. Obviously we're wrong. To really seal up everything properly, I'd probably have to spend some serious cash that I just don't have right now.
-------------------- "My name is the symbol for my identity and must not be lost." Motto of the Lucy Stone League. Posts: 1815 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
What Lydia said. I grew up in a very old house with bats. That's why I hate 'em. They used to get into the house from my bedroom somewhere. We sealed up all the obvious holes, but they were still getting in somewhere. Without spending a lot of dough, or time, you just have to live with them. Be glad you have a cat skilled enough to get them. Growing up, we only had one cat that could catch them. He would sit on the bottom bannister & make leaps at them.
-------------------- I've got a pen in my pocket does that make me a writer? Standing on the mountain doesn't make me no higher. Putting on gloves don't make you a fighter. And all the study in the world doesn't make it science. -Paul Weller Posts: 199 | From: Kalamazoo, MI | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Monza305, I am so incredibly thankful they are not coming in my bedroom. Yikes!
And, yes, I'm glad I have cats. Oliver is my cat who has had a couple of very expensive vet bills and eats expensive prescription food. At this point, I think his hunting skills are a fair trade in earning his keep!
-------------------- "My name is the symbol for my identity and must not be lost." Motto of the Lucy Stone League. Posts: 1815 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Jul 2004
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It happened again! Although this time, Oliver woke me up at around 1:30am meowing. After the obligatory, "no" (as in "no, I'm not feeding you now"), I heard a funny sound. I knew something was either under my bed or extremely close to my bed.
I think that I actually engaged in human flight out of the bed. Once I worked up my courage to race past the bed and out the door, I saw (from the safety of the door), an injured bat flapping around on the floor. Of course, I thought "oh my gosh, I have to get the bat." But, then I thought "what am I going to do with it." I planned various scenarios in my head and they all involved the bat biting or scratching me and transmitting rabies. Maybe a little irrational, but, hey, it was 1:30 am and I was awakened to a half alive present from my cat.
Eventually, Oliver grabbed the bat in his mouth, proceeded to the basement, and ate it.
I have now called an exterminator. The guy is coming out on Monday to determine where the critters are getting in, how to fix the problem, and figure out how to trap the ones that may be in the attic, basement, or the walls.
I'm really worried about the cost. At the same time, I don't think I can afford not to do this.
In the meantime, the basement is blocked off since this seems to be where the cat has caught the bats. The cats are both very unhappy they now have one less play space and they are very unhappy that I had to move their litter boxes.
One strange thing I noticed after both bat snacks, Oliver was pretty aggressive afterwards. Has anyone ever experienced their cats doing this? I'm thinking it was either the fresh meat or the hunt itself that may have done this.
Also, he got pretty upset yesterday when I closed off the basement. I'm thinking that maybe he had started regularly hunting (or at least looking for prey) in the early evenings.
I'm not sure if this makes any sense. The good thing is he seems back to normal today.
-------------------- "My name is the symbol for my identity and must not be lost." Motto of the Lucy Stone League. Posts: 1815 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Lydia Oh Lydia: I'm really worried about the cost. At the same time, I don't think I can afford not to do this.
No, you can not. Bat guano carries the spores of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum which causes the disease Histoplasmosis. It can cause flu-like symptoms and affects the respiratory system. In worse case scenarios, histoplasmosis can be fatal (mostly to the elderly, infants, and AIDS infectees). Although rare, histoplasmosois can cause presumed ocular histoplasmosis which leads to blindness.
Remember, you do not need inches of guano to become sick, just inhaling a few spores can make you ill.
-------------------- I swear, it was funnier in my head. Yeah, I used to be pink. vanilla_pink. Posts: 2493 | From: California | Registered: Nov 2003
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vanilla, I saw that (and some other nasties) after doing some research. I've refrained from more than just one site because I don't want to obsess over potential diseases.
-------------------- "My name is the symbol for my identity and must not be lost." Motto of the Lucy Stone League. Posts: 1815 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Jul 2004
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1.intentionally or deliberately kill, injure or capture (take) bats;
2.deliberately disturb bats (whether in a roost or not);
3.damage, destroy or obstruct access to bat roosts
4.possess or transport a bat or any part of a bat, unless acquired legally;
5.sell, barter or exchange bats, or parts of bats.
-------------------- Brosandi. Hendumst í hringi Höldumst í hendur Allur heimurinn óskýr Nema þú stendur Posts: 694 | From: York, UK | Registered: Jul 2006
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I would not post this if I didn't feel it was important, as this kind of stuff is usually TMI for most people. The reason I'm posting an excerpt from the Emedicine Clinical Knowledge Base entry for Rabies is that while most people think they can only get rabies from a bite or a scratch, the latest findings are that for bats, nonbite exposures are the norm:
quote:Nonbite exposures include being scratched, being licked over an open wound or mucus membrane, or exposure to brain tissue or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a rabid animal. Nonbite exposures from bats are the exception, and respiratory exposure from bats is a growing concern.
Intact skin contact with urine, blood, or feces of an animal has not been shown to constitute exposure, except in bats .
quote:Rabies prophylaxis is now recommended for any routine contact with at risk animals. History of a bite wound has only been documented in 1 of the 19 cases of bat-related human rabies. Eight of the remaining cases reported physical contact. No history of bat contact could be found for the remaining 10 cases.
The method of virus transmission in cases with no history of bat contact is unclear. Aerosolization of viral particles, unrecognized scratches or bites, and transmission through another animal species (eg, skunk, raccoon) of the bat/rabies variant are possibilities.
The standard of care is this:
quote:Data suggest that insignificant contact with bats may result in viral transmission. Postexposure prophylaxis for bats is recommended, even in the absence of a bite or scratch. Any suspicion of bat contact, such as finding a bat in a room where someone has been sleeping or any contact with an unattended child, intoxicated person, or mentally disabled person, requires postexposure prophylaxis.
While rabies prophylaxis vaccines are still given in series, they are not the horrible painful stomach-shots of days gone by. Just like getting flu shots, but in the deltoid region.
I would strongly suggest you bring this up with your doctor. Good Luck.
~Delia
-------------------- Cogito, ergo Dei non est. Posts: 70 | From: Portland, Oregon | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Holy crap, Delia. I had no idea about the respiratory exposure.
I'm sitting here now waiting for the exterminator to come out and do a survey. Esp. depending on what he says regarding what he finds, I might telephone my dr. this afternoon.
-------------------- "My name is the symbol for my identity and must not be lost." Motto of the Lucy Stone League. Posts: 1815 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Pikey Queen: Wow, in Britain it is illegal to:
1.intentionally or deliberately kill, injure or capture (take) bats;
2.deliberately disturb bats (whether in a roost or not);
3.damage, destroy or obstruct access to bat roosts
4.possess or transport a bat or any part of a bat, unless acquired legally;
5.sell, barter or exchange bats, or parts of bats.
Apparently, this might be the law here as well. The exterminator (probably not the right word) told me that they are not allowed to trap or kill the bats. Instead, they can only make the houses inaccessible to bats. I'm waiting for the estimate, but if I go with this company, they will seal up certain areas.
Also, the guy found three probably entry points. In those areas, they will put in a type of valve system. When the bats wake up from winter hibernation, they will exit those holes but not be able to get back in.
-------------------- "My name is the symbol for my identity and must not be lost." Motto of the Lucy Stone League. Posts: 1815 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Jul 2004
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