My chimney is haunted

[squee123]

Mysteriously for the last two days our two cats have been completely obsessed with staring at, and sticking their heads up, the chimney in the dining room. We've been here a year and they've shown no interest before now. We can't see any reason for this and can't hear anything either in that room or in our bedroom directly above (which is blocked off but has an air vent) which would suggest probably not a bird.

Any wise MNers have any ideas please? A ghost would be ideal as it wouldn't smell, whereas I fear whatever's up there might be stuck and soon start to stink the house out fron wherever it's trapped...

Should I get someone to come and investigate pronto in case whatever it is can be rescued, or is a priest my only hope? Thanks!

Birds nesting.

Birds nesting.

It’s 🎅 of course.

There was an episode of Drunk Women Solving Crime about a haunted chimney.

Well it’s pretty obviously birds. You need a chimney sweep.

You may have jackdaws. They nest in chimneys and are clever as fuck. They’d be well capable of dodging detection until now

This reminds me a bit about that story of that Doctor (very very very long time ago) who crawled up the chimney of an old house in Conwy to escape from the man who owned the house .. he got stuck and died. Not saying its a human body up there but maybe something has crawled up there that they can smell, if birds can't get in.

Most likely they're just messing with your head. Have they seemed a bit bored lately? Turned their noses up a few times too many over the food you're providing for them?
Bottom line is you've disrespected/ignored/not proved sufficiently adoring of them of late & you're suffering the consequences. Maybe try offering them a bit of salmon?

Mice,bat or birds. Dead or alive

As others have said probably birds, I had the chimney sweep out recently and he removed over 10 dead birds.

Are the cats in the room at dusk/night? Bats come out at night which might be why you don't see them but the cats do.

wouldn't we be able to hear (live) nesting birds tweeting away?

@nkcofo did you have any idea? Was there a weird smell? That's grim.

Thing is we don't actually use the chimney at all, so I don't want to get it swept really, but if we're about to get a smelly maggoty corpse in there I probably should.

Ghosts and Santa would all be happy outcomes. Less so dead doctors.

@eileenalanna maybe you're right and an offering to the feline overlords would appease it.

I was thinking mice or rats. They can go undetected.

@nkcofo did you have any idea? Was there a weird smell? That's grim.
No idea! We hadnt been using that one for over a year, as it needs a new stove, got it swept as getting the new one next week and he showed me the delightful haul of dead birds! I'd get it swept!

Eeeeek!😰moving into flat with 2 chimneys sealed off as got gas central heating can things still get in?😭

Bats are like mice and the small kind can squeeze through a tiny gap. You need to look at the outside of the house at dusk to see them flying out if there are any. They are normally quiet but can make a shuffly noise or squeak as the line up to squeeze their way out to go fly catching. They are only there in the summer. Out in caves or woods in the winter.