I can understand what you went through. We've had bats come in the house, fly around, scaring me more than my husband. (I don't like mice either!) For the past few years around the end of July/beginning of August we have this unwelcome experience. First time we were both sitting at our computers and out of the corner of my eye I saw something fly by. My husband said "it's a bat." I immediately picked up the two dogs, ran into the kitchen, slammed the door, and sat on a stool in the kitchen, figuring we were SAFE. Not so. All of a sudden the bat flew by and I kept yelling "bat, bat, bat" but of course my husband couldn't hear me since I had closed the door. How was I to know that the bat would follow us? We have an intercom in our house so I pressed the button, yelling "bat's in here...get it out" He came in, trying to chase it into our office area, finally managed to and threw a jacket over it, getting it outside. We were both relieved, figuring it was a one-time experience. No...you guessed it. Next night, another bat appeared. I think it was the same one returning for revenge at chasing it out. Again, I took the dogs, left the area, staying in a room with the door shut, while my husband opened an outside door and it flew out.
Next year...another bat...same time of the year. Flew around us so I ran to close the door to the house, tripped, fell on my knee (Ouch!), and it managed to get into the house. We thought he managed to get it to fly back down to the basement. Next morning I went about my morning breakfast making, opening/closing cabinets, etc. I left the kitchen and my husband said "Didn't you notice the bat on the cabinet?" It had attached itself to the top of a cabinet door, blending in. It was up high so I didn't notice it. He took something to cover and pry it off and carried it outside, placing it on the ground by the garage. No more that year. BTW, I often look at the cabinets in the morning, hoping nothing will be there.
Two weeks ago...About 1 AM, Sean woke up barking. (My husband was downstairs at the time.) He leaped off the bed (something he never does during the night), staring out into the hall. We have "split doors" so we can close the bottom half to prevent him from going into other rooms. The bottom of the bedroom door was closed so he couldn't go into the hall. I got off the bed, went to pick Sean up to go back to sleep, and... a bat flew through the hallway outside the bedroom. I slammed the top of the door (safety!!), got on the intercom and told my husband we had a bat...again. As he was listening to me the bat flew by his head. He ran to get the back door open, tripped (hurt his knee), and the bat flew back into the house. Nuts! He couldn't catch it. We thought it might have flown back down to the basement. During the night I heard a noise downstairs, figured it was hitting something. We slept with the door closed. I wouldn't leave the room alone all night. Next day we looked around the house, figuring it might have attached itself to something but couldn't find it. Something above the sink had been knocked over so we thought it probably tried to get out but the screen was on the window. I think that was the worst part...not knowing where it was. We decided to leave the kitchen window open that night, figuring if it was in the house that it would fly out. Of course we kept our bedroom door closed all night.
Since they...no bat.
Hopefully we won't have anymore. I do look around carefully as I enter the house at night, wondering if there will be another one.
Wow! I didn't realize I would write so much. I really got caught up with this bat stuff.
Any more bat stories??