Anonymous wrote:PP here. I don't know what AC told you, but no where near 15% of bats are rabid. It varies by species, but the figure is closer to 0.5% (fwiw, I work with bats).

He told me it's higher in our area (MoCo) - is that true?

PP here. I don't know what AC told you, but no where near 15% of bats are rabid. It varies by species, but the figure is closer to 0.5% (fwiw, I work with bats).

Different people, and I presume animals, respond differently to Rabies shots (pre exposure). Some people need a booster more often than others. Chances are your cat is protected from its previous shots, but your vet may want to give a booster. Very few bats are rabid, but it's true that bats showing up in weird places, on the ground, etc are more likely to be sick. However, bats are just coming out of hibernation right now, so this can account for some of that. Do be sure no humans in your family were bitten, and call your vet. Chances are, your cat will be fine.

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!

Our cat's rabies vax expired (vets office dropped the ball so now we have a new vet) and we didn't realize until he got attacked by a raccoon during the day. Trust me, we were just as freaked out. Vet gave him a rabies shot but per MoCo policy we had to sign something saying he would be kept "in a locked cage" "in a locked room" for I think 90 days. Vet said the immunity from his many years of rabies shots should be enough and he wasn't worried but he had to follow county policy and report it. Said he couldn't force us to do anything but theoretically the county could follow up. We separated our cat from the rest of the house for a week I think to make sure we didn't see any rabid signs then let him out in the house but did respect the quarantine period of 90? days before letting him outside again. The county never followed up, I thought there would at least be a fine or we'd get something in the mail.

Good luck!

About 10 years ago, I had a bat get into my house. I had a working wood fireplace and apparently, it had nested in my chimney. I had left the flue open and one day came home from work and it was flying around in my family room. I had an atrium door and it kept flying at the door trying to get out. Since the family passed into the kitchen with only an open archway, I had to hang a blanket over the doorway (to keep the bat in the family room). Then I had to open the atrium door and with a broom, get it to fly out the door. It took a while, but I got it out. Then afterwards, I noticed that there were blood stains on the glass door where it had flown into the door. Sadly after all of that, it probably didn't survive very long once it got out.

Do you have a wood fireplace with a chimney? That may be how it got in. Another possibility is if you have an attic and the attic opens into the walls. If they are in the walls, you definitely want to get a pest control specialist to deal with this.

Anonymous wrote:where do you live

MoCo

Bats are cute. You know besides the rabies thing. I hope your kitty is ok.

where do you live

OP here - wow, I've been reading up and learning a lot. On very windy days we hear what sounds like mice squeaking in the wall. We had the attic checked for mice/critters and none were found, so we figured it was just some weird trick of the wind. Now I'm convinced that we have bats hibernating in our wall and one somehow accidentally got inside. I found some online audio of bats calling and wow, it sounds like what we've heard in our walls. On warm days the hibernating bats can be tricked into thinking it's spring. I don't think the bat has been living in our house all this time because it would starve - it needs to eat flying insects.
I think we need to see a bat/wildlife specialist to remove the bats.
I will call the vet in the morning because I am worried the bat bit my cat - apparently the teeth are little enough that my cat wouldn't necessarily have felt it.
Can you tell I'm up past my bedtime and a bit crazed? Ugh.

You might want to check in to how the bat got into your home. Do you have any openings in the roof area? You should check your attic. I was recently watching one of those exterminator shows and they showed two houses with attics full of bats!

What about calling animal control?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your cat's rabies shot is still good. They last for 3 or more years.

If that's so, why do they tell us to get him a shot every year?

Mine doesn't. Every three years is what we're told.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - please call your doctor asap. seriously. i say this as someone who had rabies shots.

please people -vaccinate your animals. i was bitten by an "indoor dog" who never got his shots. those owners were terribly irresponsible in my opinion. 20,000 dollars worth of rabies medical care it cost my insurance. i wish the owners had been charged. sorry, OP, you too are irresponsible.

but call your doctor.

Oh come on. Not OP but it's not the same thing.

OP here - I wasn't in contact with the bat. But I will call the vet first thing in the morning.