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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here - what a crazy night! Last night I assumed the bat flew out the window because he disappeared after we opened our bedroom window and closed the door. Well, I was an idiot, it seems. Later I read you should always stand in the corner of the room to make sure the bat gets out, because they can hide and crawl behind/under things. So last night after reading up on bats for too many hours i sat up in bed listening for the bat, just in case. My cat suddenly pricked his ears up and stared at our closet door - and there was the little creature, nestled in a towel that was thrown 
over the door. We called animal control and they came out at 2am to remove the bat. Poor thing. They'll test it for 
rabies and get back to us in a day or two. I'm so worried 
about my cat and praying the bat was healthy - apparently 
15% are rabid, according to AC. I will never delay the rabies shot again![/quote]

This is a very good thing.  The larger concern (besides the cat) is whether the bat was in a room with a child or a sleeping person.  Bat bites can be invisible to the human eye (their teeth are super sharp and thin).  The CDC recommendation is to do post-exposure prophylaxis for any children, disabled or sleeping persons who have had been in the same room as a bat UNLESS the bat is captured and tested for rabies.  Several people die in the US each year from bat rabies exposure and while most can remember being around a bat, they almost never remember being bitten (because it happens at night).  The odds of this happening are exceedingly rare but the consequences severe (rabies is always fatal), hence the CDC's recommendation.   You have 7-10 days following exposure to get vaccinated.

We went through this whole shebang about a year ago when we discovered a bat in our house.  We couldn't account for it's whereabouts at night (found it flying in our hallway).  Thankfully we were able to capture it (animal control) and it was sent to the DC Public Health lab and they were incredibly prompt and helpful in getting it tested.  I called our pediatrician and they confirmed what I read on line.  They vaccinate about a half a dozen families a year who run into this problem.

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