9-1-1, What Is Your Emergency?
The night that the bat got in, my hubby was working the graveyard shift at the bakery, so it was just me, the kids, and the cat. There I was, minding my own business, reading, when I heard this weird chirping sound. I'm thinking, "What in the world is that?" It sounded like a cricket's chirp, yet the rhythm seemed slightly irregular. I'm half-expecting a big ol' cricket to hop in under the bedroom door, but nope, it's a bat! Cue the Dracula vibes! I've definitely watched one too many vampire flicks. It eerily flattened itself, sliding beneath the door, then slowly stood up and took two hops forward. Its movements were unsettlingly deliberate. Then, it took flight, swooping around the room before settling atop the curtain.
Now, I've got the kids hiding under the covers while I try to throw a blanket over it. Meanwhile, the cat goes crazy, leaping high into the air trying to nab the bat mid-flight! Talk about a wild night in! So, I call 9-1-1.
So, the cat starts leaping up to snag the bat!
I don’t want her to catch it and then end up with rabies. So, I call 9-1-1.
Dispatcher: 9-1-1, what's your emergency?
Me: Hey there! I've got a bit of a situation. There's a bat in my house, and my cat is going crazy trying to catch it mid-air. I'm worried she'll get rabies! Can you hear her? She's going crazy!
Dispatcher: Oh my, that sounds wild! What's the bat doing?
Me: It's flying erratically back and forth in the room, and my cat's trying to snag it. The ceilings are about 12 feet high, and she's leaping up like a maniac. I'm afraid she'll catch it and catch rabies.
Dispatcher: Yikes! Maybe try the fire department. They're experts at rescuing things from high places.
Me: Never called them before. What's their number?
Dispatcher: Dial 4-1-1 after you hang up. They'll know what to do. Good luck!
Later, the fireman arrived, and we had to make sure the cat stayed out of the bedroom. Surprisingly, he had been fishing earlier in the day and he still had his fishing net in the firetruck and went back to retrieve it. The cat was on full alert! The fireman was more wary of her than the bat. Eventually, he managed to catch the bat in the net and released it outside. He explained that it was a fruit bat, likely attracted to the apple tree in our backyard. It probably slipped in through the kitchen window, which had a small gap when we installed the screen. He advised us to block the gap with a towel or rolled-up newspaper to prevent it from happening again.
Bat House
Contrary to popular belief, bats are not birds; they're mammals. Unlike birds, bats possess fur, give birth to live offspring, and nurse their young with milk. Nevertheless, they share a remarkable ability with birds: flight. Bats possess forelimbs adapted into wings, rendering them the sole mammals capable of sustained flight. Their flight capabilities exceed those of most birds, thanks to their elongated digits covered in a thin membrane, known as a patagium. Thus, although bats and birds share flight as a common trait, their biological and classification distinctions make them unique entities in the animal kingdom.
The cat was like nuthin’ but opportunity and space!
The fireman was more wary of the cat than the bat!
In China, bats are like, totally seen as symbols of happiness. It's because the word for bat sounds kinda like the word for happiness, so it's all about that good vibe. Plus, they're linked to being lucky and rich, so they're super cool in Chinese culture.
D.H. Lawrence, renowned for novels like "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and "Sons and Lovers," also authored several poetry collections. I stumbled upon a poem titled "Bat," where he vividly described the creature.
"Wings like bits of umbrella,
Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag to sleep,
And disgustingly upside down,
Hanging upside down like rows of disgusting old rags,
And grinning in their sleep.
Bats!"
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