Found a bat in my house. Story inside.
Found a bat in my house. Story inside.
So in the middle of the night I heard a noise that I thought was some kind of bug. After 10 - 15 minutes I realized that whatever it was wasn't going away on it's own, so I got up to shoo it away. This little guy was on the floor screaming at the slider door being harassed by my two cats. I don't have a chimney or attic, so I have no idea how they got inside. When I opened the door, instead of taking flight, they simply hopped out the door froggy style. Were they injured? I don't think my cats did it if so, because they mostly just seemed confused by the poor creature. And what were they doing in the house?
Additional pictures of my unexpected guest being rudely gawked at by my feline friend:
And yes, I'm taking my cats to the vet just in case they got bitten.
UPDATE: Thank you to everyone concerned. I have contacted a doctor and she said that given the full details of the story I shouldn't need to worry. The poor thing was inside for *at most" an hour when everyone was awake, so it's highly unlikely to have bitten anyone before being spotted by me. The only concern remains the cats, who as mentioned found the bat before I did. I plan to vaccinate them ASAP. Once again, THANK YOU, but doc says I'm fine.
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As others have noted, go get rabies shots.
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/prevention/bats.html
Bats play a vital role in our ecosystem, and they do not all carry rabies. However, it's important to recognize possible signs of rabies in bats. Unusual behaviors that could indicate that a bat has rabies include:
- A bat that is active during the day.
- A bat that is found in unusual places (inside a home or on the ground).
- A bat that is unable to fly or is easily approached.
You've got a bat with two (and a half?) signs of being rabid. Do not delay, go get treated immediately. It is not worth the risk.
How would I go about doing this? I looked up how to get a rabies vaccination in my state (Illinois) and only found information on how to get pets vaccinated, nothing for humans.
Go to an urgent care, explain that you found a bat in your house that was not afraid of you and appeared unable to fly, and that based on the CDC information (linked above), you are concerned that it was rabid. And that you know it's possible to be bitten by a bat while sleeping (which you were), and not even know it.
Anyone else in your house that may have been exposed (doors open between them and where you found the bat) should go with you.
I'm also in Illinois, ~50 miles west of Chicago. If you're relatively close, I will give you a ride if you need it.
Edit: The urgent care may well redirect you to the ER, but urgent care is more likely to be able to see you quickly. If they do refer you to the ER, they may be able to call ahead while you're en route to prioritize you appropriately.
Some quick corrections.
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That bat was absolutely afraid.
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I wasn't asleep when I heard it. I suffer from ADHD brain and am often awake till 2 AM. This is the first time I've heard this sound and we've never seen bats in the house before. I also have a small house with very few hiding spaces I can think of.
It is unlikely that this bat has been in my house before last night, but I will contact a doctor if needed.
You should most definitely contact a doctor, and follow the doctor's advice. "If needed" is already here.
if needed
Yes, it's needed.
If you start to notice symptoms of rabies, it's already too late. Don't take any chances on this one. The symptoms and progress of rabies are like a fucking horror movie on steroids
And the first symptoms of rabies are "Ugh, I have a cold." The next symptoms are "Ugh, I have the flu." Only after those do you get to "I am confused, aggressive, horribly thirsty, and afraid of water, and I have no idea why, or that my death is rapidly approaching."
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