Just batty

Animal Care and Control didn't believe Fiona's leg looked like it was bitten yesterday, but more like it was scratched. This means Zelda didn't need to go into quarantine-- until today when she caught a bat in the basement.

We haven't known about a bat in our home since the one pictured at left. The bat from 2005 surprised me by hanging on the pot I had used to boil spaghetti the night before. It was the only dish I hadn't bothered to wash before bed, and after running some soapy water in the left sink the next morning, I reached for the pot in the right sink and wondered-- even while reaching for the handle-- what the brown stuff was on the rim.

But I digress. This time I didn't want to get a handful of bat (or worse) so I didn't try to take any photos of Zelda and the bat. Instead I called Animal Care and Control immediately. The same officer appeared on my doorstep and apologized for jinxing us by asking yesterday whether Zelda had caught any bats. He caught it in a wink using a small lidded coffee can and walked me through quarantine procedures.

Over the next ten days, Zelda may be scared when we'd expect her to be affectionate, or lethargic when we'd expect her to be active. She may cough as if she has something stuck in her throat. Most alarmingly, however, she may display unprovoked aggression and bite for no reason. When I put on Ian's sneakers to go in and feed her the first night, she pounced on the loose shoelaces and made my heart stop, but she was just hungry for attention, movement, and play. She is, after all, a Mighty Huntress.

Had Zelda not been up to date on her vaccinations, she would have been removed and euthanized immediately. There are more rabid bats in our county this year already than all of last year, and the fact that they've been found in our nearby downtown is unsettling. Bats are usually only solitary when they're ill, and their bites don't hurt or fester, so we just have to wait. Hopefully ten days from now Zelda can be reintroduced to our home.