Somethings in my attic and I’m freaking out!!!

[DandyPinkDuck]

There’s something living in my attic and I’m freaking out, this whole situation is making my mental health even worse, I’m so anxious I can’t leave my room and haven’t eaten all day as I’m scared I’ll find something running around I’m extremely on edge 😔 I live by myself in a semi detached house in a semi-rural area.

Sunday around 2am I heard a noise outside my bedroom window (I have a conservatory below my window) it literally sounded like someone was trying to break in or open the window, was rather loud and I freaked out. Calmed myself down and thought maybe it was a cat outside my window on the conservatory roof….I was wrong…today (Monday) this time at 12:30am I could hear noise above me in the attic which was definitely in the attic as was rather loud, sounded like something crawling/running pretty fast as well as scratching, lasted about 10minutes and then went silent and not heard anything as of yet. Best way I can describe it is it was like a kitten that’s energetically running around and clawing things. I assume whatever it is climbed onto the conservatory and at first tried to find a way into my bedroom around the window which failed, I'm praying it failed, and then settled to the attic instead.

I called my landlord as I rent a council property and they said someone will contact me in 2-5 working days and I can’t afford to go private but I’m loosing my mind I’ve genuinely had anxiety attacks on/off all of today as I’m really stressed and scared to death that I’m gonna see something big and grey (don’t want to mention it) running around I honestly cannot relax and as mentioned I’ve not eaten because of it… may sound silly to some but my mental health is really bad and this situation has made it worse. The fact I heard it trying to get into my room near the window makes me terrified they may come into my room or already be here somewhere I’m having to constantly scan my room every few minutes to check (it’s triggering my OCD symptoms).

I know it’s not something sitting on the roof and doubt it’s a bird as when it was moving it was really fast. There’s no way I can put traps around or go into the attack, as you can tell I’m already distressed just knowing somethings there. I feel like I’m a complete mess and I’m dreading tonight as I know I’m bound to hear it again I’m really anxious this time I’ll hear it in my actual room or trying to get in again. I couldn’t even pluck the courage to look outside my window onto the top of the conservatory this morning in case I saw something.

Should I call the landlord again tomorrow to explain how I suffer with mental health and it’s really effecting me to hopefully see if anyone can come sooner?

Any reassurance would be great right now as I’m very panicky, already searched what the chances are of a pest in the attic coming into the actual house and regret searching it…any reassurance on that would be great or just to hear peoples experiences.

Friend of mine had a pet badger that used their downstairs loo …

I have used this high pitched frequency many many times and it always works to stop a pest making noise over night until I get our humane traps up there.
I think a few times it's actually got rid of them too so I didn't need to go into the attic.
I usually put my phone on top of a wardrobe and just let it play for the night.

I hope you can get some rest and something to eat. I really sympathize, anytime I hear anything like that I feel sick with anxiety.

OP I’m certain it will be a squirrel! I had one and it was so noisy and like you I used to be terrified thinking a group of rats would find their way in to my bedroom 😅it was never there during the day and there were no signs or mess left however my OH went up once at night and spotted it, we had a gap in the eaves. It was filled and it didn’t come back. Whilst you’re waiting you could try bang on the ceiling, this will scare it back outside for a while!

I know it’s hard because I loose my appetite when I’m anxious but it makes things even worse, try to eat. Whatever’s going on now will be a distant memory for you soon x

Sounds like a critter! They're so loud in the loft.
I remember when I moved into my 1st rental. I worked away a lot as well as long hours in the day and found my food had either moved or gone. I started to feel like the landlord or previous tenant must've been going in. Turned out had a couple of mice. I think I felt a little like you OP, imagination running riot!

Another sentence I never thought I'd ever read!!

We have this problem right now and I also thought someone was breaking in from the balcony cos the noise vibrates across the ceiling. Pest control been out 3x confirmed it was squirrels as they’ve piled up the insulation to make a drey! Put traps down but haven’t caught it yet tho. The landlord has to sort this out as they can gnaw through cables and cause an electrical fire. They have to file their teeth down regularly so his joists and wires are at risk.
Our squirrel is jumping over from a tree very close to the property and sneaking in under the roof tiles.
Pest control will be able to smell if it’s rats.

It’s probably some cold, frightened, lonely, hungry and doomed living creature. Your fellow earthling. It feels pain, thirst, fear just like you do. Winter is harsh.

It means you no harm. Can you not spare a little compassion for it?

@CheeseIsMyIdol
I understand it’s a living creature and I’m not saying I don’t want it to keep on living but I think most people would prefer it not to be living in their property especially when you have mental health/anxiety and live on your own it can be very overwhelming. Your house is supposed to be a place where you can relax, not feel on edge and scared🙂

I’m sorry for your struggles but the likelihood of this poor hungry/thirsty/suffering creature approaching you or harming you is virtually nil.

It is just trying to survive as best it can. This is her world, too. Try to take a compassionate and resilient view of the situation. It’s not going to harm you.

Nah fuck that. I'm a vegetarian and a massive animal lover but I got the pest control people in to get rid of wasps and mice in my roof (separately). I didn't want to be kept awake all night and I don't want to have to buy a new roof!!

Yes, and what you want is far more important than their lives & the ecosystem.

Given your username, do you actually eat cheese? How do you feel about the dairy industry? 😂

I literally agree. My house not burning down because mice are chewing through the wires is more important than their ability to live in my roof. My nephew and niece not being stung by wasps living in my window cavity is more important than the poor wasps making a home wherever they want!

Where does it end? Do you refuse to wash your face because you don't want to kick the Demodex mites out of their cosy home in your eyebrows?

If it isn't stopped it will probably cause her house to catch on fire. Is that a proportionate outcome do you think?

Your username suggests you are a happy exploiter of animals for your food consumption - what about the suffering of dairy cows and the calves they have torn away from them so they can continue to produce milk for the cheese you love so much? Are you in fact a big old hypocrite?

Disagree with "probably" - it's a rare (but nevertheless real) cause of house fires.

Subject to that hear hear!! Bloody hypocrites

My husband spent a couple of hours in our loft on Sunday taping up all the munched exposed wires. It might be rare but it's a real risk.

Or see 😁

When my landlord was procrastinating over something similar, I called several pest control companies myself and took quotes from them with their availability. Emailed this to the landlord and asked if I should book it and get them to invoice her.

Some landlords are just busy/ lazy and really don't have a lot of empathy for their tenants living in a pest ridden home.

Sorry i don’t believe you’d be ok with wasps living in your house 😂

Squirrels are noisy little buggers. Ours like to tap dance along the gutters and roof at stupid o'clock in the morning.

You could get a sonic rodent deterrent to put up there. It would mean tilting the loft hatch open a few centimetres, just enough to shove the deterrent in. Then drop the loft hatch lid back down immediately. It would take a second maybe two. If you banged on the hatch lid before doing that the squirrel would scarper and be no where near the hatch when you tilted it

Get a grip OP, always with the "anxiety OCD, ND" or whatever here on mumsnet. Its just an animal of some sort going about its private business, we are surrounded by thousands of animals here in the countryside!!
It won't want to come anywhere near you. Why would it go anywhere near a dangerous, noisy giant.
It isnt a massive giant spider or anything.
My cat dragged a big old rat into my bedroom recently, the creature was so terrified at the sight of me it froze solid so I just picked it up by the scruff of its neck and put it outside where it ran away at the speed of light.

🤣🤣

Well aren’t you a big brave one ! We’re not all like you, so stop with your put downs