how is my indoor cat catching bats?
Posted by Natural_Gate6096@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 64 comments
i have a 1 year old indoor cat who has managed to catch 3 bats? 2 of which she killed and 1 that i managed to get off of her and take it to a wildlife rescue centre, with it dying due to its injuries anyway. we have no idea how she’s doing this as she’s an inside cat and pretty stupid lol. we live in a bungalow and sometimes she plays on the roof so could she be catching them up there and bringing them in? we also have a converted loft with normal loft space in the back, she likes to play and sleep in there sometimes. could bats be roosting in there? how do i go about finding if they are and what steps do i take next?
laughingthalia@reddit
Get a rabies vaccine for you and the cat ASAP
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
i have trypanophobia pretty badly :( i will def get her vaccinated though! i did volunteering for a wildlife trust and i couldn’t handle the bats as i didn’t have my vaccines
Khaleesi1536@reddit
Go and google what happens when rabies activates (and is then basically fatal), then try and tell us you wouldn’t rather have some injections.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
yeah i know what rabies is lmao, it’s a phobia idc
Khaleesi1536@reddit
Yeah I know what a phobia is, lmao. Go and get vaccinated ffs.
RayaQueen@reddit
It's obvious you don't know what a phobia is. That term is usually misused.
Khaleesi1536@reddit
I do know what a phobia is, thanks. I’m not as stupid as OP.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
no, it’s my problem not yours
Khaleesi1536@reddit
Respectfully, you need to grow up.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
respectfully, it’s my problem not yours. i’ll suffer the consequences of my own actions lol
Khaleesi1536@reddit
Great, enjoy your Darwin Award.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
can’t wait 👍
pot_on_wheels@reddit
What about the poor bats that are suffering from your cats actions?
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
how does that have anything to do with me getting vaccinated and why do you think i made this post? for advice on preventing her from getting a hold of them or advice on where she’s getting them from
RayaQueen@reddit
You can have sedation. I think the other person doesn't know what a phobia is tbh but you can have sedation.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
thanks for letting me know!!
pot_on_wheels@reddit
Natural selection for you then I'm afraid
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
that’s fine by me as long as my cat is alright lol
laughingthalia@reddit
Dude who's gonna look after your cat if you get rabies from the secret bats that live in your house?
xx_TCren@reddit
Unless OP has been handling or touching live bats this not something they need to worry about, and transmission of EBLV to cats from infected bats is extremely rare.
Uhura-hoop@reddit
It’s worth noting that ALL bat species in the UK are legally protected meaning it is illegal to kill, injure, disturb or capture them, or to damage or destroy their roosts (regardless of whether the bats are present at the time). Even just to handle them (like the conservation/rescue groups) you need a license.
I would contact the Bat Conservation Trust and figure out pretty quickly how to prevent your cat harming them any more. They are endangered.
Careful_Contract_806@reddit
I don't think the law applies to cats
Etheria_system@reddit
No but it applies to cat owners who are allowing their cats easy access to a roost
Uhura-hoop@reddit
Yes absolutely. Inaction to prevent harm caused by your own animals is prosecutable
Salt_Track_4763@reddit
It should.
Ben750@reddit
Even if it did, cats don't give a fuck.
Sage-Freke-@reddit
You do need a licence usually, unless it’s injured. Then you just need to be vaccinated and signed up to receive the bats. I’m a bat licensed ecologist and have been a bat carer in the past too. It’s a great way to gain experience handling bats before you get your licence.
WordsUnthought@reddit
I once found my indoor cat with a sparrow in her mouth (happily unharmed) - we also have a loft conversion, but there was a crawlspace for insulation down each side and the opening flap had come loose so she was getting into there where the little guys roost.
I reckon it's very likely to be that.
Also, rabies jabs, stat. Don't fuck around with exposure to bats.
RayaQueen@reddit
In the UK? We don't have rabies in the UK. unless we have migrating bats? Is that a thing?
The-Jelly-Fox@reddit
Yeah, vaccine asap for both you and your cat. If you contract rabies and don’t get the vaccine, you can die within 48 hours. There is no cure.
feetflatontheground@reddit
You won't die in 48 hours. It takes weeks before you even see any symptoms. It's treatable before they're symptoms. The earlier the better.
Now once you see symptoms, you're as good as dead. It has been cured (post symptoms), but I wouldn't count on getting it on the NHS. It's a very lengthy, and involved treatment.
Altruistic_Cress_700@reddit
Cure rate post symptoms is about 1% anywhere. It's pure luck.
Rabies travels up the peripheral nerves to the brain. Slowly. It is treatable during that dormant phase. So get vaccinated quick. It's no longer the horrible injections into the stomach. Urgent GP visit who will immediately refer you. It's not an emergency because you aren't dying.
SnooHabits8484@reddit
It’s much less than 1%. The Minnesota protocol worked for one person, it was probably a fluke.
astrawberrythief@reddit
*Milwaukee
Altruistic_Cress_700@reddit
I was being generous! 🤣.
flags_fiend@reddit
Many years ago one of my friends had a bat in her house that she tried to catch in a tea towel, it escaped and scratched her. She was given the full course of rabies jabs and the post-exposure jabs which was not fun. But on the plus side she did get it all provided for on the NHS (unlike if you are going on holiday where you'd need to pay for travel vaccinations).
south_by_southsea@reddit
New Martin Lewis money saving tip right there
idris_elbows@reddit
They carry a lyssavirus, which is Rabies-like. Get the jab if you're exposed
feetflatontheground@reddit
Bats do migrate.
Tawoooo@reddit
the UK doesnt have rabies in land animals, but does rarely in bats specifically
Glass_Minute4753@reddit
You say your cat plays on the roof - how does this work if she is an indoor cat?
If she is catching bats during the daytime, she has probably found their roost. Given you have a loft space, this seems the most likely to me if the cat can access that area. Do you know how she is getting in? I assume it isn't just open onto your loft conversion! I would suggest blocking up any gaps when she can get into the loft space. Let the poor bats roost in peace!
If she is getting them while she is outside on the roof, you need to work out if she is catching them in flight or if she is accessing the roost from outside. So, is there a cat sized hole somewhere in the outside of your roof (I presume not!)? If she is catching them in flight, this is most likely to be at dusk/ early evening when the bats are more active, so stop her going outside at that time.
However, if she is turning up at random times with bats, she is most likely able to access their roost.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
she doesn’t go outside but likes to jump out the windows and play on the roof for some reason, there is small gaps in the back of the loft as it’s converted into a walk in wardrobe. when she’s caught them it’s in the morning that we’ve noticed/found them
OdinForce22@reddit
I'm so confused.
Out of the windows and onto the roof is outside, no?
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
yes - it isn’t very often though and she doesn’t ever go in the garden as she doesn’t like it. that’s the only time she’s outside but i didn’t know how else to word it
OdinForce22@reddit
Well housecat ain't it.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
indoor cat that likes to play on the roof twice a month? is that better?
Etheria_system@reddit
Time to put a stop to that and get some mesh to cover the windows because bats are a protected species and by continuing to allow her access you may well be breaking the law
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
they aren’t able to be covered as they’re tilted ones, we’ve tried preventing her upstairs but our house is pretty open plan with not many ways to stop her getting in
Etheria_system@reddit
Can you not just keep the windows closed upstairs? Is there a reason they need to be open? This is your responsibility to find a solution to and so far it sounds like you haven’t found one so you need to keep trying. You can be prosecuted for allowing their continual death.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
we’ve started to shut them but it’s coming to summer and getting warmer here. we’ve only just suspected they could be roosting as the firs 2 were very spaced apart and could’ve been coincidence but after the 3rd we think otherwise
Etheria_system@reddit
Time to get in touch with the bats conservation trust. FWIW, a lot of indoor cat owners have to deal with not being able to have the windows wide open in summer - I’m one of them. My cats need to stay indoors, so that’s a sacrifice I have to make. I use fans etc and have the windows on latch.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
yeah that’s a good point, i’ll see what i can do
me_its_a@reddit
"She doesn't go outside but likes to jump out of the windows and play on the roof"
I think you might be misunderstanding what an indoor cat is.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
i didn’t know how else to word it, she’s rarely up there and never goes in the garden
Altruistic_Cress_700@reddit
Remember all bats in the UK are protected species. So you have a probable legal issue. You need to contain your cat from where it's finding them. Because it's as good as you disturbing them if you don't take reasonable measures to prevent it.
Unfortunately your cat doesn't have a special right, different from yours, to hunt protected species with impunity. It is slightly different, in the sense that you can only take reasonable measures. You wouldnt be expected to lock it in a box permanently. But you will need to investigate what it's doing because it's evidently worked something out and you should, with detective work, be able to find out what.
You could be negligent unless you are using all realistic measures to prevent the hunting of the bats.
Annoying.
Sage-Freke-@reddit
This is the right answer. I’d also add though, that most bats tuck themselves away when they’re roosting during the day. The only ones that hang out in the open. In the UK are horseshoe bats. If the cat is catching them then that’s even worse, with them being one much rarer than something like a pipistrelle.
Natural_Gate6096@reddit (OP)
she’s been catching pipistrelles i’m pretty sure
eggs_and_ham_i_am@reddit
Does he wear a purple suit and have ridiculous over the top clown makeup on? Maybe come across as somewhat psychotic?
Could be why he hates bats.
Andronicus_0@reddit
In the UK, the first rule about bat club is that you don't talk about bat club. An animal that's so protected that everything you do to a house ccupied by bats needs to have an impact study. However, if there are no bats, then you are free to do whatever you want! I can tell from your post that your cat is catching them in the air, so you can not possibly have bats roosting in your property, can you?
Syystole@reddit
I saw videos online of roofers ripping open a roof with swarms of bats sleeping inside
cerezaviolets@reddit
time for a rabies jab for you and your cat OP! even if the chance of getting it in the UK is negligible, I still wouldn’t take any chances when it comes to bats
xx_TCren@reddit
Even for bat workers, bites and scratches are rather uncommon. Unless OP has been handling or touching live bats this not something they need to worry about, and transmission of EBLV to cats from infected bats is extremely rare.
BastardsCryinInnit@reddit
So the actual question is...
"How have I got bats in my house?"
Defo read up on this from the actual batman
As a side note, your cst sounds like they were born for bigger things!
TheRealVinosity@reddit
And, definitely no belfry?
(bats could definitely be roosting in the roof space)