Help please! My cat just caught a bat.

Urgent advice required please! I have tried calling a bat helpline but it is now closed... The bat is currently on a path in my garden, it has no visible injuries and has moved around 4 feet away from where my cat dropped it about half hour ago.

When I shone a torch on it 10 minutes ago the wings were spread out, I was hoping this would mean it's ok and will fly away but I just checked again and the wings are now closed and it hasn't moved.

I honestly don't know what to do for the best. Shall I bring it in and put it in a box until tomorrow night? Or shall I leave it where it is and hope that none of the other neighbourhood cats find it? Should I move it somewhere safe or will this cause the poor thing more trauma?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance...

reply to post by paradisepurple
I would move the bat out of the open (behind a bush, etc.) and start watching your cat for signs of rabies if it hasn't been vaccinated. Do not bring it inside.

reply to post by paradisepurple

the cat caught a bat, which caught a rat.
and that was that
on topic, see if its injured. if it is, kill it.
put a board or piece of wood over it, and stand hard on it.
as you can probably tell ive absolutely no experience in this kind of thing.
but that was the first thing that came into my head.
so i'd go with that.
i think....

I would not touch the bat with bare hands. Bats are well known carriers of rabies and other diseases that are readily transferable.
Did the bat bite your cat? I would keep a close watch on the cat in case it is infected.
My advice is leave the bat alone. it will either die or fly away when it is ready.

Put the bat out of it's misery. If it hasn't flown away by now it won't.

Your cat did a good job, go kitty. (It's rare to see me cheering for kitties, mostly I'm talking about making them into stew.)

Kill the bat, bury it, move on. Nature just said hello to you.

--Haus

ETA: Don't put a board over it and stand on it. Whack it real hard with a shovel. Use the same shovel to dig a hole and transport the bat to the hole.

reply to post by paradisepurple


Take your cat to the nearest VET ...run don't walk and get it checked out for rabies.

As for the bat...call animal control.

reply to post by paradisepurple


Our cats did the same thing last year, we contacted the Bat Conservation Trust, they were really helpful. Their website is here

I hope this helps.

The Fifth Cat

reply to post by TinkerHaus
Mister , you better stop that stewing kitties talk right now!
*Gives Tink "The Look"*

reply to post by littled16


Thank you littled, I just read that it's very rare for UK bats to have rabies, I hope this one is ok! My baby girl Liberty is only 11 months old, she's vaccinated but I don't know if it includes rabies...

I tried picking it up with kitchen roll earlier but the little thing is so delicate I was scared of harming it.... I'm glad I left it now you've said not to bring it into the house...

It's still in closed position and hasn't opened it's wings again...

Originally posted by paradisepurple
I have tried calling a bat helpline but it is now closed...

Hmm, that's odd, it should be available at the same bat time, same bat channel.

reply to post by TinkerHaus


Maybe whacking the bat with a shovel isn't such a good idea. People were mad at this guy for a while.

reply to post by SecretKnowledge


This was my first thought, I cannot bear suffering and I would rather the trauma of putting a shovel over it myself than see it suffer.... I just don't know how long to leave it until I'm sure it's not going to recover...

Originally posted by littled16
reply to post by TinkerHaus

 

Mister , you better stop that stewing kitties talk right now!
*Gives Tink "The Look"*

That kitty in your signature would be great in stew.. Dancing around like that he would mix all my ingredients - before he succumbed to the stew. =D

reply to post by paradisepurple


According to the Bat Conservation Trust

Some bats in Europe carry a rabies virus called European Bat Lyssavirus (EBLV). This is very rare in the UK's bats. EBLV is not the classical rabies which is usually associated with dogs; classical rabies has never been recorded in a native European bat species.

The rabies virus is passed on via a bite or scratch from an infected animal, or from its saliva coming into contact with your mucous membranes (your eyes, mouth or nose). If you do need to handle a grounded or injured bat, always wear thick gloves to avoid getting bitten.

SOURCE

Regards

The Fifth Cat

I have experience with bats I have many outside and a few have got in my house.
Ok get some gloves on, find a twig or branch and see if you can coax the guy onto it, check If it has and injuries.
Now you can either try and get the bat to fly by throwing it in the air (risky) or you can put the bat in a cardboard box with newspaper in and airholes with a dish of water by one side until you get in contact with the bat people.
They can't just take off from the ground so If you do have it on a branch or twig you could move the twig up and down quick and it may just fly off.

Do not kill it please you can get into a lot of trouble even prison time.


EDIT: If it is in closed position use a newspaper to pick it up and do the box thing til tmr morning.
Good luck.

Originally posted by paradisepurple
reply to post by SecretKnowledge

 

This was my first thought, I cannot bear suffering and I would rather the trauma of putting a shovel over it myself than see it suffer.... I just don't know how long to leave it until I'm sure it's not going to recover...

if its still there now, its injured.
get out there and put it out of its misery. now.
go. do it. and then report back here. we'll wait for you

reply to post by boymonkey74

Do not kill it please you can get into a lot of trouble even prison time.

not if its injured, its the humane thing to do

Panic over, the bat has gone! I've walked around the path with a torch and can't see it anywhere, there's nowhere for it to hide unless it's gotten up steps into the garden itself so it must be ok....

My god that was stressful! I think I deserve a large glass or two of port...

I have always resisted putting collars on my cats as it surely cannot be comfortable for them and I also worry it's not safe but the way this little one's going I think I may have to make an exception! Having a collar with a bell must surely crush her chances of catching anything... She's a hunter through & through... I'm quite worried about what the future may hold....

Thanks for all the prompt responses, I knew I could rely on ATS!

reply to post by SecretKnowledge


They can and will fix a broken wing, i have had the bat people out to an injured bat before.

reply to post by TinkerHaus
That is just wrong on so many levels!
Naughty Tink, just plain naughty!

reply to post by paradisepurple


Phew
Oh and don't bother with collars with bells on cats, it just makes them better at what they do.