# Wowbagger the Mercotan, Hero Cat **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 24, 2019, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902 "2019-11-24T03:48:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/21 "2019-11-24T16:59:39Z")
Tell the human wench Cynthia she has our best wishes during her Time of Trevails, and give Wowbagger high fives from all the feline denizens of Casa Silenus. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/22 "2019-11-24T17:06:35Z")
502ed ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/23 "2019-11-24T17:25:41Z")
I’ve watched the Siamese get the murderous look on their faces when any pestilence comes in the house. We’ve had several moth rodeos. A couple birds. 2 big-ass centipedes. The one most recently memorable was a froggy rodeo. Because it was on the floor the dogs joined in. Beck finally caught him and put him out, he was mostly unscathed.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/24 "2019-11-24T17:49:50Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Why not just have _everyone_ get a rabies shot, along with all the other vaxxes that us rational people get? Or, at least all people living in areas where bats are common? > > What are the arguments for and against that? I read the answer to this not terribly long ago, but I can’t find a cite now. IIRC, the risk of humans contracting rabies is low, and the cost of the vaccine is high. Vaccines are recommended to people who are likely to be exposed, such as (according to the CDC) ‘veterinarians, animal handlers, rabies laboratory workers, spelunkers, and rabies biologics production workers.’ ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/25 "2019-11-24T18:48:31Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > It should be mentioned that if someone awakens from a night’s sleep to find a bat in the bedroom but has no evidence of a bite or other injury, that is still considered a significant exposure, and likely justification for getting vaccinated against rabies (bat bites/scratches can be hard to detect, and victims have contracted rabies in this manner). > > [. . .] > > **Qadgop** might also want to think about taking the cat in to the vet for examination and possible rabies vaccine booster (even vaccinated pets generally get boosters if bitten by a rabid animal, which of course has not been established in this particular case). Seconding both parts of this, and expanding: if a bat’s been sighted anywhere in the house, and someone’s been asleep in a room that the bat might have had access to, vaccination seems to be generally recommended. In my area, at least, recommendation for a possibly exposed previously-vaccinated cat is definitely a booster shot, whithin I think it’s 7 or 10 days – I don’t remember the exact number of days. Call the vet. and check. (Requirement for a possibly exposed unvaccinated cat is either an extended period of time – I forget how many months – in an isolation cage, or euthanasia. Get your commensals vaccinated, indoor-onlys included.) > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > IIRC, the risk of humans contracting rabies is low, and the cost of the vaccine is high. Pretty sure that’s right. The vaccination for humans is quite expensive, and although it’s no longer as bad as it used to be, it’s still no fun, and can still make you feel pretty crappy for some time. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/26 "2019-11-24T19:32:46Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > I know that you are a MD and you have my highest respect, but are you aware that most bats carry a virus that presents like rabies, but isn’t. I think its a sort of herpes thing, but its not rabies, however the blood work shows something like rabies, so everyone thinks that every bat in the world is rabid. > > Of course nobody wants to risk getting rabies so its good that the Mrs is getting treatment, but I really don’t think she is at risk. > > Poor bats have such a bad rep, and they are mostly innocent. Got a cite for the changing of recommended human therapy due to possible bat rabies exposure due to the known presence of bat herpes, though? According to my experts (UpToDate, CDC, the former chair of the Infectious Disease department at Jefferson Medical, plus our own local public health authorities), the risk is still real, even if low. Hence the recommendation for rabies prophylaxis. Combine that with the widely known case of the girl in a community 45 minutes from me who nearly died of rabies, and whose survival was publicized worldwide for its extraordinariness, we opted to go with standard medical recommendations. If future recommendations change because of new information, then we’ll listen to that. It’d be nice to have less worry around bats, for certain. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/27 "2019-11-24T19:39:31Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > But am I the only one who paused briefly when reading the story—to wonder how many people other than the Mercotan family keep a pair of binoculars on their kitchen window? 🙂 As noted in the OP, it’s for the ore boats and other vessels going by, and also to scope out the beachwalkers. And to watch out for trouble on the lake, we’ve seen enough of that over the decades here. We all mind our own business here, but watch out for each other too. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/28 "2019-11-24T19:43:03Z")
> [@Encinitas](#): > > Great story but as I was reading along picturing the stately Mercotan manor I was awaiting a further list of rooms. Such as: ballroom, sitting room, maid’s quarters, banquet hall, boiler room and dungeon. I left out the Master Suite, the West Wing, the Guest Suite, the North Suite, the South Spare room, the Bunkroom, the Bridge, the Vault, the Massage Room, and the Abattoir. Those had been effectively sealed against bat intrusion at the time and hence were not of concern. I also inadvertently omitted the Boiler room, which the bat might have found its way into. Same for the Grand Stairwell. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/29 "2019-11-24T19:44:39Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Surely the grand double doors to the ballroom would be kept closed - otherwise all the balls would roll out. > 😃 > > I crack me up! Most of the balls are kept in the Ball Sump Pit anyway . . . ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/30 "2019-11-24T19:45:20Z")
I have binoculars hanging inside the French doors. I see all kinda things from my deck and need a closer look. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/31 "2019-11-24T19:48:21Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Also: What, no butterfly net in your arsenal? I’d have thought that would be a good bat-catching tool to have handy. Need a firm basket to deal with a bat. Otherwise they just get tangled in a floppy net. Trap them in the lax stix basket, rotate the stick just like when you’re running with the ball in it, and the bat stays in the basket until you’re ready to flang him. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/32 "2019-11-24T19:51:48Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > when you feel like it, can you share why “Wowbagger” for your cat’s name? perhaps you’ve talked about this before and I missed it. We adopted him at age 2. He was named “Sandy” at that time, which we found to be super lame. That, plus he doesn’t ‘meow’. He says stuff like “Wowbagger” and “go bugger” and “wacka wacka”. Hence the name. It must be right for him, it’s nearly 10 years that we’ve had him now and he still doesn’t answer to it. Or to Sandy. We’ll call the vet on Monday to see if he needs a rabies boost. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/33 "2019-11-24T19:53:11Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Tell the human wench Cynthia she has our best wishes during her Time of Trevails, and give Wowbagger high fives from all the feline denizens of Casa Silenus. I’ll pass that on, same back atcha both; I raise a bottle of Ginger Beer to you both in memory of good times together years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/34 "2019-11-24T19:58:23Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I was surprised to see lacrosse sticks in your armament. Living for 8 years in Baltimore will do that to a person. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/35 "2019-11-24T21:34:34Z")
Was the cheese cave safe? StG ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/36 "2019-11-24T21:36:58Z")
I lived in Baltimore (suburbs) for the first 19 years of my life and I don’t own a lacrosse stick. What did I do wrong?? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/37 "2019-11-24T22:03:53Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Why not just have _everyone_ get a rabies shot, along with all the other vaxxes that us rational people get? Or, at least all people living in areas where bats are common? You mean… everywhere in the world except Antarctica? Bats are very widespread. There are some parts of the world where rabies is common enough that human prophylaxis is a thing… for those who can afford it. Poor people who can’t afford it are one reason about 55,000-60,000 humans a year die from rabies. Mostly places like India (about 20,000 a year) or other places with a lot of human poverty and a lot of dogs. The US gets weird stuff like [people catching rabies from an organ donor](https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/09/us/fourth-rabies-death-reported-from-a-single-organ-donor.html) - VERY rare, thank goodness. Vaccinating dogs turns out to be a pretty good way to reduce the number of human rabies infections. High risk populations - like vets - everywhere get vaccinated as well, but for the average person in the US or Europe or Australia the risk of adverse reactions is probably higher than the risk of rabies exposure. Of course, if you are bit by a wild animal (or sick domestic animal) then you are now in a high risk group and need treatment. > [@Senegoid](#): > > What are the arguments for and against that? Cost, for one. Cost is always a factor. Also, like any vaccine there is a risk of [adverse reactions.](https://www.rxlist.com/imovax-side-effects-drug-center.htm#professional) The more people you vaccinate the greater the chance of someone having one. > [@Senegoid](#): > > If I understand right, rabies shots are no longer the torturous treatments they used to be. And in particular, if one gets a pre-exposure shot, like most dogs do, isn’t that just a simple vaccination? Well, yes, but see above link to adverse reactions. > [@Encinitas](#): > > Great story but as I was reading along picturing the stately Mercotan manor I was awaiting a further list of rooms. Such as: ballroom, sitting room, maid’s quarters, banquet hall, boiler room and dungeon. It’s a freakin’ TARDIS disguised as a rambling lakeside residence. Cynthia must have quite a loud alarm call to be heard at the opposite end of The Manor. Either that, or the echos lined up just right. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/38 "2019-11-24T22:21:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Encinitas** : > > Great story but as I was reading along picturing the stately Mercotan manor I was awaiting a further list of rooms. Such as: ballroom, sitting room, maid’s quarters, banquet hall, boiler room and dungeon. And obviously a belfry. But hey, you live in a Stately Manor. Of _course_ you get bats. Oh, and I believe that the proper past tense for “fling” is “yflong”. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/39 "2019-11-24T22:24:11Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I lived in Baltimore (suburbs) for the first 19 years of my life and I don’t own a lacrosse stick. What did I do wrong?? :eek: You lived in the 'burbs, dear. You never had to navigate the streets around Homewood or east Baltimore after dark. I also suspect you weren’t at every Hopkins lax game, screaming your fool head off, like some Baltimorons I know (and love). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902/40 "2019-11-24T22:25:03Z")
Why is it always Arkansas?(from Broomsticks link) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wowbagger-the-mercotan-hero-cat/843902.md?page=3)