Bats in the Belfry

To a cat, a bat is a really big bug, or a mouse that flies. Either way, it must be caught, even if it risks life & limb. Or your grandmother's best antique china. So when a bat drops down our chimney and escapes past our fireplace insert into the living room, it's an event.

The first thing that happens is all ceiling fans get switched off.  A few years back we discovered bats don't navigate well around the moving blades, but that BG will immediately let go of what she's carrying if you yell "DROP IT" loud enough.

Next the cats get sent to another room. Then, we get the butterfly nets out.  These have been very handy for this kind of job.  Essentially one has to scoop the bat as it flies by, and bring it quickly to the ground. A board under the net, fingers at a distance, a trip to the nearest door, and out goes the little black butterfly to catch all those nasty mosquitoes in the night. Simple. Except for the scooping part.

Last week, a bat made it into the house. Unfortunately he found a quiet place to hide for the night before we could catch him. The next morning we spotted him clinging to the library ceiling. We had no trouble netting him and packing him outside. The second bat who got in wasn't so lucky. We're not sure how he met his fate, but Betty found him dead on her chair just before she sat down. 

The next night the cats were hovering around the fireplace insert.  A sure sign that another little creature was attempting to scratch its way out.  It was late, I was tired, so hoping it would either still be there in the morning, or find a hiding spot for the night, I went to bed. A few minutes later I heard a strange chirping sound in the dark, followed by a lot of commotion. Yup. Bat in the bedroom. Lights on, Betty up, cats shoo'd, nets ready.

We missed him when he landed on the top of the door, and chased him out to the dining room. Then the living room.  Then back in the dining room, where we lost him. We watched the cats to see which direction held their interest.  We spotted the little fellow on some shelving before Frasier did, but he got away again. Now very tired he only managed to get half way up a curtain. Betty caught him and I whipped open the sliding door before she could say a word.

I called the Chimney Sweep in the morning because it was obvious something wasn't right. We needed the chimney done anyway, and luckily the Sweep was available.  When he finished cleaning and resealing everything, he advised me that 2 bats had flown off when he opened things up, but he wasn't sure if any had fallen down the chimney.

Oh, some had.

Shortly after the Sweep left, Little Vlad made his entrance and escaping everyone's clutches, hid in the curtains. I decided to wait til he came out in the evening. Sure enough, at dusk he circled the living room. We dutifully shut off the fans and attempted the net capture. A few minutes later he was left outside to recover and fly away.

The cats were still hovering by the fireplace though, and a little while later bat number 5 appeared. He was followed by bat number 6! We'd never had two at once, and soon discovered that they were much harder to catch. It must have been quite the sight for our neighbours who had a clear view thanks to our picture windows. Two middle aged women running from room to room, ducking, weaving, waving butterfly nets at the ceiling.  We got them one at a time, but it sure wasn't easy.

And still the cats stared at the fireplace. I was typing an email when Squeak, who was next to me, suddenly expressed an interest in the dining room. Sure enough.... Number 7 had arrived.  He wasn't quite as bright as the others, and found himself trapped flying back and forth in the hallway. We soon caught him and gently deposited him outside.

After that, the cats stopped being interested in the fireplace.  We kept the nets upstairs for a few more days just in case.