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Where We Left Off:
Ollie and Gus observed that one of the local bucks, Buckgammon, had his tail mostly missing and only a nub left just like the chipmunk, Rayne Sintail!
The Bat People:
According to my notes, on the morning of August 7, 2026, the heat was sweltering and swampy and I was going to skip taking Gus and Ollie out for adventures. My plan to sleep late was thwarted with The Cook climbed the stairs and arrived in my bedroom.
“Gus has a bat. It came down the chimney.” She sounded extremely worried even though this is not the first time a bat has been in the house. It happens once in a while.
Of course, Gus is up to date on all his shots, but that doesn’t alleviate the natural tendency to worry about something as deadly and contagious as rabies.
I quickly got out of bed and pulled on some shorts. I got the downstairs where everyone was huddled by the Hobbit door. No, it’s not a charming circle door, but it is designed for short people. There was Gus with the bat in his mouth. I heard a little squeak that translated to “Help!” from the flappy creature.
“Gus. Drop it!” I said.
I moved around The Cook in order to bend down and get Gus. He didn’t want to be grabbed. Not when he had such a prize! He did drop the bat immediately though and I was able to scoop Gus up. That’s when I got the phone out to begin recording. The awkward angles are because I knew Gus would dart for the bat and then the open door if I didn’t hold him back.
During all this, Oliver Winchester stayed securely out of the way which was lucky for the humans. Ollie has shown interest in wanting to walk out the open back door without being in his buggy and he’s only worn a harness once.
The bat ended up underneath the Hobbit door in that inch of space between it and the slate floor. The Old Man opened the door the rest of way, but the bat didn’t go outside! The bat moved around in a circle scaring The Cook even more. She leapt over it and went through to the stairs closing that door behind her. The Grumpy Old Man had everything under control. He never panics when there’s a bat inside the house. If he does, he hides it expertly.
Gus protested being held back. “I’ll take it outside if you just let me go.”
“I know, Gus, but I think your grandpa can handle it,” I said.
Sure enough, the bat eventually figured out which of the three doors surrounding them was the open door leading outside to the foggy morning. It was time for all good bats to return to their roosts which are not the chimney. The bat houses are located high up at the top of the other building.
Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) have a wide range across North America. We have around 20 individuals in our roosts. I wonder what the chances are of Vesper, the previous bat intruder, being this bat. Would she make the same mistake twice?
The cats followed me back upstairs where I could get dressed for adventures despite the gross summer humidity.
“Do you want to swab my mouth for DNA?” Gus looked at his cousin when the ruckus was over.
Ollie sat up and raised a paw. “We could wait to see if you turn into a vampire.”
“She wasn’t a vampire,” I retorted even though I know he was joking. “You got to smell and carry Vesper. You should know if this was her, Gus.”
“To be fair, my personal handling of this species is limited. I don’t know how distinct the flavor or smell of each one is when they commune together.” Gus moved over to his yoga mat—the signal that he’s looking for treats. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was her, but don’t hold me to it.”
Case Findings:
Gus captured an unexpected intruder inside the house. Was it really the same bat as last time? A Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) squeaked as Gus grasped it in his mouth and walked it to the back door where he dropped it on the floor. The door was opened and safely flew out into the wild.
Case Status: Closed
