redbird: closeup of me drinking tea, in a friend's kitchen (Default)
Redbird ([personal profile] redbird) wrote2022-07-01 07:49 pm
Entry tags:

excitement we didn't want

Everything is/will be fine, but yesterday [personal profile] cattitude had an unexpected and unpleasant adventure (it made us hours late for lunch and there's medical follow-up):

He went downstairs yesterday morning to do the laundry, and came back up saying that he had been bitten on the finger by a bat, which had been inside one of the washing machines. So I called a Lyft and took him to the emergency room, while [personal profile] adrian_turtle warned the neighbors and called Animal Control and the landlord's emergency maintenance line.

The ER was uncrowded, and they saw him quickly. He has now had 14 mL of rabies immunoglobulin -- the dose is scaled by body weight -- and the first several doses of the rabies vaccine. After they gave him the vaccine, we waited for another 15 or 20 minutes to be sure he hadn't had a bad reaction to the vaccine. Then they sent us home, where we had a late lunch. (We left for the ER at 11:30, and got home three hours later.)

Cattitude has to go back three times for more vaccine, three, seven, and fourteen days from now. This will be through the ER, and they suggested he try to arrive early in the day so it won't be crowded. If he hadn't told them he was already on antibiotics from the dentist, because he had two wisdom teeth extracted Wednesday afternoon, they would have prescribed some.

Adrian told us that when she called Animal Control, they said she should have been observing the bat continuously from the time it bit Andy at least until they answered the phone, which she and I both thought was an impressively stupid idea. Instead, the bat was shut inside laundry room, with a warning sign until the Animal Control guy showed up. Adrian then heard thumping from downstairs, after which they told her that they had captured the bat.

Animal Control tested the bat for rabies, and it was negative, which is a relief. Nonetheless, he's going to finish the vaccine series rather than take chances. That means going back Sunday, next Thursday, and the Thursday after.

Conveniently, Adrian and I had separately decided we wanted to go for walks yesterday morning, and each of us came back with tasty things. Adrian got smoked fish for lunch, and we both bought fruit and lettuce. We may have more lettuce and mixed greens than we will eat while they're still fresh.

Having dealt with all that, Cattitude decided he wanted sushi for supper, which Adrian and I also thought was a fine idea. We had it delivered from Fin's, which is near our new apartment, and it was good enough that we will probably order from there again (and maybe pick it up ourselves, rather than paying GrubHub fees, but everyone had had a long day).
pameladean: (Default)

[personal profile] pameladean 2022-07-02 08:21 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, good heavens, I don't know that I'd ever want to look inside a washer again under the circumstances. That is just not reasonable. Nor were Animal Control reasonable. Observe the bat! Maybe it will bite you too!

I am glad Andy got treated and everybody got fed in the end. Oooof. Wow.

P.
adrian_turtle: (Default)

[personal profile] adrian_turtle 2022-07-02 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
I thought the Animal Control people were being outrageously unreasonable, especially considering how few households even HAVE enough adults to take the bite victim to the hospital and watch the bat, even if nobody is afraid of potentially-rabid bats or away from home (or needing to stay well away and mind the baby.) However, after they caught it, they said they'd test it and used the terrifying phrase "if it's the same bat."

I don't know that I'd ever want to look inside a washer again under the circumstances.
I am certainly scared of THAT washer. I went to a laundromat half a mile away on Friday, despite the difficulty of getting a cart of laundry across Comm Ave and down the steps.

pameladean: (Default)

[personal profile] pameladean 2022-07-02 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"If it's the same bat." Great. I don't get the impression that they have much training in dealing with the public. I mean, yes, if there is one bat in the washing machine (!!!!!) there might be more bats around the place and they have to think about that, but nevertheless, it is not practical to just demand you watch the bat and never take your eyes off it to make sure it's the same one.

I do not blame you an iota for avoiding that washing machine. I hope the apartment management reacts suitably to the situation.

P.