Power Animals | The Bat

The Bat arriving in your life signifies an omen of change. He asks that you pay attention to signs around you. The transition may seem frightening at first, but you must let go of your old habits and patterns that no longer serve your higher calling. They will only hinder your growth.

Bat Spirit Animal Meaning

Bats are symbols of communication because they are highly sociable and have strong family bonds. They are nurturing, highly verbal, use touch and are sensitive to members from their group. This strong bond allows them to teach us how to enhance our level of communication and strengthen our bonds with family and friends. Bats have great perceptive skills, always show the truth in dreams and symbolize rebirth as they spread their wings at dusk from the womb of Mother Earth.

Bat As Your Totem Animal

If bat is your totem animal, you are a highly sensitive individual who is extremely aware of your surroundings. You have powerful skills when it comes to seeing through illusion. You are able to go straight into the heart of matters. You tend to be social and have very strong family ties. You are a nurturing individual, have excellent communication skills and use touch when you are communicating. You have high perceptive skills and may have prophetic dreams. You are able to easily adapt to any situation you are in.
If bat is your power animal, know that he will take you on a journey that may seem outlandish, but he will never leave your side. Know that bat does not accept half-hearted attempts at self improvement. He requires commitment and can be challenging, but the rewards are profound. Once you have bat as your power animal, he will not leave your side. He will remain at your side as a faithful and forever friend helping you find your true highest potential and maintaining it.

Bat As A Symbol of Rebirth & Renewal

Bat teaches us to face the darkness and find the light seen in rebirth. You must face your greatest fears and begin a new chapter in your life. Face your fears so that you may overcome emotional barriers that are holding you back from taking this physical or spiritual journey. As a shape shifter, he inspires transformation. It is time to follow those new ideas, hunches and emotions you may not be familiar with. Embrace the possibilities the universe has in store for you.
Bat serves as a reminder to let go of our ego so that we may pursue our spiritual growth, and renew thoughts and beliefs on a regular basis. He helps us with inner work, loving our enemy in the way you love yourself and nurturing personal growth in all of its forms. Bat brings gifts of insight, renewal and increased perceptive skills. Trust your intuition and instincts. He will help you discern the hidden meanings in the words of others. You will be able to hear what is not being said.

If Bat Swoops Into Your Dreams

Along with bat come revealing prophetic dreams and heighten sensitivity to psychic phenomena, occult and afterlife. One of the greatest lessons to learn here is to be wary of illusion. Do not fall victim to unfounded, false or irrational fears. Release yourself from your fears and allow yourself to spread your wings.
Bat visiting your dreams has several meanings. It can represent uncleanness, personal demons and annoyances. Bats in dreams also represent rebirth and unrealized potential. It is time to let go of old habits that are holding you back from reaching your full potential. Bat is trying to let you know that the path you are currently traveling is not in your best interest. It is not helping you grow or obtain new goals. It is possible that you are entering a situation blindly. It is a good idea to take some time to evaluate the facts more carefully before accepting a deal or entering into this situation.
If you see a white bat in you dream, this can signify the death of a family member. To see a black bat suggests a personal disaster. If you dream of a vampire bat, this implies that you are feeling your energy drained or something is making you lose your confidence. According to Chinese folklore, seeing five bats in a dream is symbolism for good health, happiness, longevity, peace, and wealth.

How to Reduce Pet Allergens at Home

Pets can be your best friends, but if you have allergies or asthma, they can also be your worst enemy. Pets shed dander, a combination of dead skin cells and hair (or feathers), which can trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions in some people. However, you can cut down on pet allergens at home.

Cute but hazardous

Pets shed dander, a combination of dead skin cells and hair (or feathers), which can trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to the allergens. (Cold-blooded pets such as snakes and turtles do not produce dander.)
Some guidelines recommend that people with allergies or asthma avoid keeping pets—especially cats. If a doctor says that you—or your child's—allergies or asthma is aggravated by dander, you may ultimately need to find a new home for your pet. However, there are several ways you can cut down on pet allergens at home.

Minimize contact

You can reduce dander in your home by keeping your pet outdoors as much as possible. At the very least, you should bar pets from bedrooms where people with allergies or asthma sleep.

Children with allergies should also avoid petting or touching animals. If they do come into contact with a pet, they should wash their hands thoroughly.
Restricting pets to rooms with wood floors may also help. Wood flooring traps less dander than carpet and is easier to clean; keeping pets off carpet may help cut down on allergens.

Keep Fluffy off the couch

Keeping pets off carpets, upholstered furniture, and beds can reduce exposure to dander. (Using allergen-resistant bedding will help fend off any dander that does find its way into bedrooms.) Keeping pets out of cars—or restricting them to a tailgate area, if possible—is also a good idea.
In addition, any furniture, fabrics, or materials that pets do come into contact with should be vacuumed or washed frequently. This includes throw rugs, pet beds, cushions, pillows, and blankets.

Clean, clean, clean

Dusting as often as possible will keep dander (as well as dust mites and other allergens) to a minimum. Vacuuming, however, may not get all the allergens from the lower levels of a rug and may stir up a bit of dander as you clean. It may help to use vacuums equipped with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter or double bags. However, it's still a good idea to dust or vacuum when the person with allergies or asthma is not at home.
Replacing wall-to-wall carpets with wood floors will make it easier to remove dander.
A 1999 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology compared the levels of allergens in dog dander before and after a five-minute bath with an unnamed “proprietary shampoo” (which could describe an allergen-reducing shampoo). The researchers found that the bath reduced the dogs’ allergen levels by about 85% .

Close registers

If you have forced-air heating and air conditioning, closing air registers may reduce the amount of animal dander that circulates through your home. If closing all of the registers isn’t practical, try closing those in the rooms where asthmatic or allergic individuals spend the most time (especially bedrooms).
Replacing the filter in your furnace or air conditioner with a HEPA filter and/or purchasing a room air cleaner may also help. Studies on the effectiveness of these methods have been inconclusive, however. Research shows that frequently bathing your pet reduces the allergens found in their dander.

Clean cages

Though hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, and other pets typically confined to cages tend to be less problematic for allergy and asthma sufferers, dander and urine produced by these pets can still provoke allergic reactions and asthma attacks.

Birdcages and rodent cages should be cleaned at least once a week and, if possible, the cages should be moved outside to a garage or shed. Likewise, litter boxes should be cleaned frequently and moved out of living areas.

Dog attack what to do

There are about 4.5 million dog bites every year in the U.S., according to the CDC. Nearly one in every five of those bites becomes infected (around 900,000), and between 1999 and 2007, dogs were the cause of 250 deaths. If you don’t count venomous insects, man’s best friend is one of the deadliest animals in the U.S.

A majority of dog attacks are caused by people’s pets that have either gotten loose or weren’t properly leashed to begin with, but some attacks are by stray or feral dogs.
Feral dogs, sometimes referred to as wild dogs or street dogs, are free-ranging, non-domesticated animals that are not and never were somebody’s pet. They’re usually afraid of people, but can be far more dangerous than a lost or abandoned pet (stray) if they’re cornered, starving, or infected with rabies. According to the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, feral dogs usually form communities that travel together, and they often have rendezvous sites like wolves. They tend to scavenge for food, like garbage and roadkill, around human populations, but they’ve been known to hunt in packs as well. When feral dogs go hunting, it’s usually for livestock, neighborhood pets, and, occasionally, people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. And don’t think feral dogs are something you’ll only find in rural areas. Feral dog packs can be found in almost any city, from Detroit to Dallas, where a woman was recently mauled and bitten over 100 times in the middle of the street.

f you encounter a single dog you’re not familiar with, be it a stray, feral, or a dog you’re sure is somebody’s pet, the CDC recommends you avoid it—even if it seems like it’s lost or needs help. This goes double for dogs that are sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies. Even if it’s obvious the dog is someone’s pet, an unleashed dog can be dangerous, especially for children. If an unfamiliar dog approaches you, do not run, panic, or make loud noises. Stay motionless, keeping the side of your body facing the dog while avoiding direct eye contact. Say things like “No” or “Go Home” in a deep, firm voice, and slowly raise your hands to cover your neck while keeping your elbows in. Now wait for the dog to leave or begin to slowly back away.

If the dog charges you, it’s still important to stand as still as possible. As Dr. Sofia Yin, DVM, MS, explains, dogs charge for one of two reasons: either because they are scared and know offense is their best defense, or because something you or another person in the vicinity did something that excited them and made them think they’re being rewarded. People’s pets can get caught in a self-reinforced feedback loop where they “play” a little too hard and don’t know any better. If you yell and move around frantically, the dog will think you’re playing along and won’t stop.

If the dog is clearly being aggressive, not playing (growling, snarling, barking), or obviously feral (dirty, no collar, not reacting to commands), Yin recommends you try and put something between you and the animal. A backpack, purse, jacket, or even a shoe can make for a great shield. Look at the dogs’ body language so you can prepare to block attacks. Tension in the body, raised hackles (the hair along the dog’s back), and ears that are flat against their head are things to watch for. Don’t try to hit the dog with the item, though, as this can make the dog even more aggressive. Just try to back away slowly. If the dog knocks you down, curl into a ball with your head tucked, make fists with your hands to protect your fingers, and use your hands and arms to cover your ears and neck.