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.
502ed
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.
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.’
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Most of the balls are kept in the Ball Sump Pit anyway . . .
I have binoculars hanging inside the French doors. I see all kinda things from my deck and need a closer look.
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.
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.
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.
Living for 8 years in Baltimore will do that to a person.
Was the cheese cave safe?
StG
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 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 - 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.
Cost, for one. Cost is always a factor. Also, like any vaccine there is a risk of adverse reactions. The more people you vaccinate the greater the chance of someone having one.
Well, yes, but see above link to adverse reactions.
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.
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”.
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).
Why is it always Arkansas?(from Broomsticks link)